BMC deputy commissioner Shirish Dixit dies after testing positive for coronavirus; 55-yr-old was asymptomatic till Monday evening

A 55-year-old deputy commissioner of Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation died on Tuesday, day after testing positive to the novel coronavirus. A chief engineer in the water supply department, Shirish Dixit, passed away at his home. He is the first high-ranking BMC official who has died after contracting the viral infection. Reports said that Dixit, who had tested positive on Monday, was mostly asymptomatic. Dixit’s news comes on a day when Mumbai’s total cases have crossed 51,100 and the city’s toll exceeded 1,760. So far, at least 56 BMC staffers have died due to the virus. [caption id=“attachment_4259509” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of BMC headquarters. Wikimedia Commons[/caption] The Times of India reported that the BMC deputy commissioner was reporting to work at the Fort-based headquarters of BMC in South Mumbai till Monday evening and remained largely asymptomatic. He, however, suddenly took ill on Monday night. His family informed the authorities about his health. When a COVID-19 team reached his home, he was pronounced dead. A resident of Mahim, Dixit’s reports turned out to be COVID-19 positive. Following his death, three other members of his family have been quarantined,  India Today reported. However, according to PTI, BMC sources, said the exact cause of death was not known yet, and the official was not involved in any field work related to the pandemic. Dixit was instrumental in pushing the Gargai dam project and also in the successful completion of a 15 km water tunnel between Gundawali and Bhandup, a senior official said. The municipal body has announced a compensation of Rs 50,00,000 for the kin of its employees who die due to the virus. “If an employee of BMC unfortunately succumbs to COVID-19 while on duty, BMC will provide an ex-gratia assistance of ₹50,00,000 to their heirs. BMC is the first municipal corporation to implement this program and it will be applicable from 1.03.2020 till 30.09.2020,” BMC said in a tweet. With inputs from PTI