Sub fire officer succumbs to Covid-19 in Surat

Surat: Sanjay Sonvane (54), a sub fire officer with the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC)’s Fire and Emergency Services and posted at Dindoli Fire Station, succumbed to Covid-19 on Friday morning.

According to SMC officials, Sonvane, a resident of Kusum Bhavagar in Pandesara, was admitted to the New Civil Hospital (NCH) on July 17 after he developed Covid-19 symptoms. He tested positive and died on Friday. Sonvane, who was the son of former deputy mayor of Surat, had been working with SMC for the last 24 years.

He is the third SMC employee to have died due to Covid-19 in the city. Earlier, Bharat Gandhi (48), a junior engineer with SMC’S election branch too had succumbed to the infection at SMIMER Hospital on July 12. Another employee, Girish Bhadrka (48), working as sanitary sub inspector at SMC’s Leprosy department in Khatodra had died on July 7.

On June 13, Shailesh Bhoyre (48), a sanitary inspector (SI) posted at Maan Darwaja under the Umarwada ward had died. However, it was claimed that Bhoyre had passed away due to heart attack.

“Over 140 SMC employees have been tested positive for Covid-19 till now which includes doctors, sweepers, sanitary workers, lab technicians, nurses and ward boys among others,” said an SMC officer.