Mumbra train tragedy: ‘We are left with nothing but pain’

We need a jobrdquo pleads Anil Morersquos family from Siddharth Nagar Shahapur their voices heavy with the weight of unspoken pain and overwhelming loss June 9 shattered their worldAnil More the sole breadwinner of the family fought for his life for ten agonising days after the tragic Mumbra train accident But despite his brave battle he passed away leaving behind a family lost in grief and financial uncertaintyAshish 25 his son and his younger sister are postgraduates but unemployed Their fatherrsquos death has plunged them into a deep crisis ldquoRailways hasnrsquot compensated usrdquo said Ashish his voice tremblingldquoThey blamed the victims at first but now an FIR has been filed against railway officials by the Thane GRP Itrsquos clear the passengers werenrsquot at fault We have lost everything Railways should give us a job and compensate usrdquo he saidShiva Gavali a survivor of the Mumbra tragedy with his mother in happier times right The 25yearold accountant after his right hand was damagedAnil had worked as a peon at Manisha Vidyalay a government school since 1996 He was the pillar of their family of four Ashish had spent ten days by his fatherrsquos side in the hospital watching him suffer The hospital care was made even more difficult by Anilrsquos rare Onegative blood type forcing the family to reach out to blood donors themselves No one helped usrdquo Ashish said his eyes filled with painThe loss of their father isnrsquot the only blow The More family has been crushed by bureaucracy and indifferenceldquoWe havent received any compensation I was shown the hospital bill on laptop which was over Rs 15 lakh for ten days but I never got a copy of the bill The hospital didnrsquot charge us We have no idea who cleared the bill No answers No helprdquo said AshishCompensation of Rs 5 lakh to families who lost their loved ones was announced But the More family has received nothing ldquoWe havenrsquot seen a penny Itrsquos not just about the money itrsquos about justice for our father We need the Railways to take responsibilityrdquo he addedThe physical evidence of the accident the shattered windows and the dented compartments remains unaddressed ldquoWe saw the broken trainrdquo Ashish recalled ldquoBut no one was allowed to take any photos The authorities have ignored us and we are left with nothing but painrdquoStolen yearsWhile their family has a personal loan to repay Ashish and his sister have no income or support Their savings are running out fast ldquoMy fatherrsquos pension is still under processrdquo Ashish said ldquoWersquore thinking of filing a case with the railway tribunal but without a station nemo on the date of the accident itrsquos impossiblerdquo The emotional loss is coupled with the financial devastation ldquoHe had seven more years before retirementrdquo Ashish said ldquoThose years were stolen from us We were dependent on his income and now we can barely make ends meetrdquoThe statutory compensation that the railway tribunal usually gives is up to R8 lakh but this is a mere pittance for a family ripped apart ldquoEven if they werenrsquot at faultrdquo Ashish said bitterly ldquoThe compensation should be much higher This is about justice mdash not just money We need our fatherrsquos life to matterrdquoThe More familyrsquos grief goes beyond the sudden death of a beloved father Itrsquos the heartache of being abandoned by the very system that should support them in their darkest hour ldquoWe just want to get back on our feetrdquo Ashish pleaded his voice barely a whisper ldquoBut we need help mdash help that should have been givento us long agordquoA dream shatteredShiva Gavali 25 a young accountant from Daigar Shilphata Road was on his way to his Vikhroli office when the Mumbra accident happened He was the first graduate in his family working tirelessly to create a better life for himself ldquoHe was our only hoperdquo said his cousin Mayur ldquoNow his life is shatteredrdquoShivarsquos hand was severely injured in the accident and despite several surgeries it remains irreparably damaged ldquoThe doctors said therersquos nothing more they can dordquo Mayur said ldquoHersquos still not recovered and we donrsquot know how we will pay all the medical bills We have had to rely on public donations but itrsquos not enough Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had cleared the hospital bill at Jupiter hospitalrdquoFor Shivarsquos family the pain is twofold mdash physical and financial ldquoIt breaks my heart to see him like thisrdquo Mayur said tears welling up in his eyes ldquoHe was full of life and now he canrsquot even use his hand We have nothing left mdash no future no hoperdquoShiva himself recalled the accident with haunting clarity ldquoI wasnrsquot even near the door A passenger pulled me as he fellrdquo he said softly ldquoMy right hand which once worked so hard for us is now useless I donrsquot know what the future holdsrdquoThe Gavalis and Mores are waiting for justice But in a system that moves with unbearable slowness it seems a distant dream ldquoWersquoll never get back what wersquove lostrdquo said Mayur ldquoBut we still need the help we were promised We just want to surviverdquoRs 5 lakhCompensation announced for families of deceased