6-year-old girl death case: VVMC blames thieves for gate coming off hinges

Local youth secure a precariously placed gate with ropes near Papdi talav, Vasai. Pic/Hanif Patel

Nearly a week after a carelessly kept iron gate fell on a 6-year-old girl crushing her to death near a pond in Vasai, the civic authorities are yet to wake up from their slumber and file a police case. To prevent more such accidents, a bunch of local youth have taken it upon themselves to secure the other gates around the Papdi talav with ropes and wires. The tribal girl, Bhumi Mere, was playing with a cousin at the entrance of the Papdi talav when a gate fell on her. Locals said the heavy iron structure had come off its hinges and was kept leaning against a wall.

"We waited for a few days for civic officials to visit the spot where Bhumi Mere was crushed under the heavy iron gate. When no one visited, I along with my friends Darshan Bager and Raj Jaiswal tied the iron gates with coconut fibre ropes and wire to the iron fencing so that they don't fall on passersby," said Nikhil Mhatre, a local resident. He said, "Since all the gates have got delinked from hinges for over two years, motorists park their vehicles on the talav campus."

"Since the boundary walls are also in a dilapidated condition, people walking to the market or going to the station often take this shortcut. So these iron gates pose a serious threat to human lives. Here the wind speed is also strong and hence, the chances of an accident induced by strong wind are high. Everybody is scared after last week's tragic incident. So considering our moral responsibility, we have kept it tied," said Mhatre, adding that all the iron gates have rusted.

While no FIR has been registered following the death of the girl, sources in Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar (MBVV) police department said problems may mount on a few civic officials as "the girl died due to the sheer negligence of VVCMC officials". "We have called in a few people to complete our primary investigation," said an officer.

Assistant Municipal Commissioner of Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) Shraddha Mombarkar said, "It is the responsibility of the construction department of VVCMC head office to maintain these civic properties. I am very new to this area, so I am not aware of anything." Deputy engineer Prakash Satam countered, "We had not removed the iron gates from their hinges. These were removed by some local miscreants for stealing purposes."

Satam told mid-day that one small piece of the gate is missing at Papdi-talav but when asked if he has filed a police complaint, he replied, "I got to know on Friday that one small piece of the iron gate is missing from the area. I am yet to give a police complaint." A senior police officer said, "The thief will not keep the iron pieces off the hinges for so many years…they are trying to save their skin by misguiding people." Mere's cousin Vaishali Dhamankar said, "We want justice."