How Ghatkopar billboard collapse survivors are picking up the pieces
Seventeen people lost their lives in the incident, following which the owner of Ego Media Pvt Ltd Bhavesh Bhinde was arrested and put in police custody
Mumbai: Ajay Valmiki, 40, has been a patient at the Rajawadi Hospital, Ghatkopar, for over two weeks now. He was rushed here when a 120-ftX140-ft hoarding (over 1.5 times the permitted size) collapsed on a petrol pump in Pantnagar, Ghatkopar, unable to withstand a 12-minute strong gust of wind on May 13. After spending five days in the ICU, he continues to recuperate at the hospital’s general ward.
Valmiki, who works with a company that caters for weddings, suffered severe fracture to his right leg and a major blow to his head, which now causes erratic memory loss and blackouts. “I woke up four days after the accident. All I saw were shadows around me,” he said. Valmiki was at the petrol pump riding his Suzuki Access 125, when the incident took place. His friend, Karim Sidiqqui, who suffered minor injuries, informed the family about his state, after which they reached the hospital.
17 people lost their lives in the incident, following which the owner of Ego Media Pvt Ltd (that put up the illegal hoarding) Bhavesh Bhinde was arrested and put in police custody, where he awaits magistrate order.
Survivors such as Valmiki are trying to piece their lives back together.
As Valmiki has been out of work, the family’s livelihood has been impacted, while his children, who attend the Gurukul School in Ghatkopar, are looking at an uncertain future. For now, the family is burdened with pooling in funds to pay fine due to delayed fees. “It would take over six months for me to get out of here,” said Valmiki.
His wife Seema, 37, seated by his side at the hospital with home-cooked meal, said, “My daughter broke into fever soon after she learnt about her father’s state.” She remembers “some senior officials” visiting the hospital to take pictures of her husband’s injuries, “but we are yet to receive anything”.
Migrant worker Dayaram Asaram Verma, 30, came to the city from Shravasti district in Uttar Pradesh, to work as a caterer. He suffered fracture in the spine in the incident, which has restricted his movement – he lies on his side in his rented house in Kurla. Now, the family’s cash flow has been aborted as Verma is the sole earning member.
Verma’s brother-in-law Salikram Burma, 33, who came to Mumbai after learning about the incident, looks after him. Verma and four other workers were on their way to Thane in a tempo to cater for a wedding and stopped at the petrol pump to seek shelter from rain. The driver was killed as the hoarding fell on the vehicle, while Verma was saved as he was behind the tempo.
Sharif Nasir Khan, 38, an auto driver who lives in Sangharsh Nagar, Powai, along with his wife and two children, had decided to wait at the petrol pump for a few more minutes tanking up his bike, when the pump room fell on him and his wife. Khan and his wife were returning from JJ Hospital after the latter’s treatment.
Khan, who had undergone surgery to replace his knee cap, said, “I have been advised bed rest for at least three months. I cannot drive my auto for five months now.” The sole bread winner is now anxious about his son’s education – he was moved to a private school last year, with hopes of a better future. Khan’s wife, who sustained minor injuries in the accident, also cannot work since she has to take care of him. “Our survival is at stake now,” she said.
Another victim, Dinesh Kumar Singh, 54, who worked as a security supervisor at the petrol pump, suffered fracture in the hand, apart from minor injuries on his head, chest and back. “I am unable to hear properly after the accident. I could not sleep at night —I saw people crushed under the hoarding in front of my eyes; I can’t get over that sight.”
Like Verma, Singh, a sole earner, lives in Nityanand Nagar, after arriving from Bihar 13 years ago to support his family. “I do not know how I will send money for my children’s education in Patna,” he said, adding the state government is yet to offer any aid.
Govind Kumar Saroj, 26, who works at a grocery store in Ghatkopar (East), was at the spot seeking shelter from rain, like many others. He was saved as he was wearing a helmet, he said. “Before I could grasp anything, an iron rod fell on my leg and the bones in my left thigh were broken,” he said.
Saroj’s elder brother Devanand, who works at a construction site in Pune, is in Mumbai to take care of him. “Our aged parents are worried,” said Devanand, adding like others, they are also yet to receive relief funds from the government. Saroj was stuck in the debris for an hour after which the local police rushed him to the hospital.
After the incident, the Eknath Shinde government had announced it would cover the expenses of the injured and provide an ex-gratia amount of ₹5 lakh to the family of the deceased. Survivors are waiting for the same.