Two births at stations

In a rare occurrence, two women from the city delivered babies at two separate railway stations on Wednesday. While one of them delivered a girl at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), the other woman delivered a boy at Borivli station.

In a rare occurrence, two women from the city delivered babies at two separate railway stations on Wednesday. While one of them delivered a girl at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), the other woman delivered a boy at Borivli station.

HT Image

22-year-old Vaishali Jadhav started experiencing labour pains at 1.30pm while she was at CST. The woman personnel of the Railway Police Force (RPF) immediately rushed to Jadhav’s help and made a makeshift room using a cloth on the concourse leading to platform number one at the station.

“The lady RPF personnel took her to GT Hospital after she delivered the baby,” said PC Sinha, senior division security commandant, Central Railway. According to sources, the lady had come from Ulhasnagar to meet her husband at CST. After the delivery, she was taken out of the station on a stretcher and taken to the hospital in a taxi.

“There is need for a medical room at important railway stations in the city for providing relief to commuters. A final hearing on this matter is pending in the Supreme Court, which will come up in February 2011,” said activist Samir Zaveri.

“The station master took help from the female Home Guards to deliver Gamre’s baby,” said S Chandrayan, chief PRO, Western Railway.

“The woman went into labour pain as she reached the station. She was travelling with her mother from Nalasopara to Bhagwati Hospital in Borivli for a check-up.”

Earlier this month, Kariamma Pandari, a resident of Ambivli in Thane district, had delivered a healthy girl on a fast train between Kalwa and Thane. 30-year-old Pandari started experiencing labour pains, a day before she delivered, but when she went to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Kalwa she did not deliver and was sent home.

The doctors asked her to get a caesarean done, but the daily wage labourer refused, as she was scared. As the labour pains continued, she decided to visit the hospital again the next day.

Pandari boarded a fast train with her husband, sister and sister-in-law and mistakenly got into the general first class compartment. When the train was between Kalwa and Thane, she started developing contractions and delivered a girl as her family held a blanket around her to obstruct the view from other passengers.