Family members of those who died seek accountability

In the hoarding collapse tragedy at Ghatkopar during the unexpected shower and dust storm on Monday around 14 died and more than 74 were seriously injured Most of the deceased had only visited the petrol pump to refill their CNG vehicles while a few were working at this Bharat Petroleum stationmidday spoke with the families of those who died in this incident revealing how they received the news about their loved ones trapped under the hoarding Most of the people trapped under the hoarding called their loved ones and asked for help Locals told midday that many phones are still ringing under the collapsed hoardingSachin Yadavrsquos familyDilip Paswan an optical fibre engineer and a resident of Andheri MIDC visited the petrol pump with two staff members in a company car to refill CNG Paswan arrived at the petrol station after completing his first site visit in the afternoonSpeaking with midday Raju Paswan brother of the deceased Dilip Paswan said ldquoMy brother Dilip Paswan was married to Punita and had three kids A coworker informed us about the incident and I reached the spot to find my brother rescued by the fire brigade but he was declared dead before being admitted to the Rajawadi Hospital My brother Dilip was the only earning member of his household and his wife Punita is a housewife We request the government to provide her with a government job and compensation for this significant loss to our familyrdquoThe 24yearold petrol pump employeeThe coworkers were seriously injured in this incident with fractures to their necks and hands Another victim Mohamad Akram Siddhiqui 48 an auto driver and resident of Kamraj Nagar in Ghatkopar lived with his wife Shamin Banu and daughter Shabnam 18 who is a college studentMohmmad Raja brother of Mohammad Akram Siddiqui said ldquoMy brother left home saying he would first refill the CNG in the auto and then start work After lunch he rested for a while before leaving for work He visited the petrol pump and was standing in the CNG queue when the large hoarding suddenly fell on him My brother died on the spot We only request the government to provide compensation in the form of a government job to his child to secure her future as he was the sole breadwinner of the familyrdquo Sachin Yadav 24 had been working at this petrol pump for the last 15 years He got married two years ago and has a threemonthold childHis uncle Sunil Yadav said ldquoWe received a video of the collapsed hoarding in a group and found out that it was the same petrol pump where Sachin Yadav was working We tried calling him but he didnt respond to any calls We rushed to the spot and found him trapped under the collapsed hoarding A few hours later the fire brigade officials rescued him but he was pronounced dead upon arrival at Rajawadi HospitalrdquoFahim Khan Mohammad Akram Siddiqui and Bashir ShaikhFahim Khan who is in the catering business was another victim of the tragic incident A relative said ldquoFahim was in a tempo headed for a catering event When they reached the highway the tempo driver decided to refill the CNG so they stopped at the pump Suddenly the hoarding fell on the tempo and he died on the spotrdquoBashir Shaikh a resident of Worli and a taxi driver was carrying two passengers in his taxi While refilling the CNG the hoarding fell on his taxi trapping and killing him Hanshnath Gupta 79 a resident of Vikhroli and a taxi driver was trapped under the large hoarding at the petrol pumpHis best friend Motilal Shrivastava said ldquoWersquove been friends since 1965 He has three children one settled in the US and two daughters in Mumbai He called me half an hour before the incident and I invited him to my grandsonrsquos birthday party He said hersquod come at 8 pm but later I received news that he was also trapped in the hoarding collapse incident I lost my best friendrdquo