Delhi collapse: Welder’s family did not know of his death for 26 hours, says wife

New Delhi/Varanasi/KanpurAmong those who died in the building collapse at Satya Niketan was a family’s sole breadwinner, 30-year-old Param Lal Kori, a welder who was working on the ground floor when a paying guest accommodation building came crashing down

New Delhi/Varanasi/Kanpur

The site of the building collapse at Satya Niketan. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

Among those who died in the building collapse at Satya Niketan was a family’s sole breadwinner, 30-year-old Param Lal Kori, a welder who was working on the ground floor when a paying guest accommodation building came crashing down. However, his family did not know for 26 hours what had happened to him.

On Tuesday, the last rites of two student victims from Uttar Pradesh—20-year-old Abhishek Kumar of Chandauli, who was preparing for competitive exams alongside his B Com degree, and 18-year-old Pawan Kumar of Auraiya had just begun his BSc course—were performed.

All three families, amid grief, failed to understand the fault of the victims and sought answers from authorities.

Kori’s wife, 29-year-old Vandana Kori, said she searched for her husband, hoping he was safe but fearing he could be in danger as his phone remained switched off. It was only around 11.30am on Monday that she was told that a body had been taken to AIIMS and could be her husband. She rushed to the hospital, only for her worst fears to come true.

“He left home on Sunday around 8.30 am and asked me about lunch. I told him I had packed extra rotis for him since he had a long day. He hugged our son and left. That was the last time I saw him. Around 3pm, I called him but his phone was switched off. I again called at 7pm, 10pm, and then at midnight,” she said.

“By then I had seen news of the collapse on TV but ignored it. On Monday, around 10am, I was told that he had gone to Satya Niketan for work. I rushed to the site but rescue staff and police told me to go to AIIMS and check. I rushed to the AIIMS Trauma Centrer and after waiting for an hour, was then told my husband’s body was there,” she said.

Vandana said Param would earn ₹1,000 for a day’s work. “He wanted our son to study at a good school and was saving money. Now, Manek keeps on asking about his father but I have no answer. I want justice. He had no idea the building would collapse or else he would have never gone there. I didn’t even know he was buried under rubble for more than 12 hours. What was my husband’s fault?”

Santosh Kharwar, father of Abhishek Kumar, sought to know why students were allowed to stay in the building if construction work was being undertaken. “Parents raise their children with so much care. When they send them to another city for studies, they expect them to be safe,” he said.

He appealed to the Delhi government to strengthen safety norms for student accommodations.

In Auraiya’s Dibiyapur, Pawan Kumar’s death left another family shattered. His family members said that they believed it was the start of a successful journey, but it ended in tragedy. He was the lone son among the five children of Dr Vishwambhar Nath Singh and Meera Singh, they said.

Kumar had secured admission to a BSc course on July 20 and had recently visited home for Raksha Bandhan and stayed on to celebrate Janmashtami before leaving for Delhi, his family said.

His sisters were distraught, and their mother said: “We had sent him to become an officer. His body has returned.”

(with inputs from UP bureau)