Shivam Pandey, 22, is inconsolable. Only a couple of days ago, his family was celebrating the joyous occasion of his sister’s engagement. But on Thursday, their world came crashing down as they learnt that the head of their family, 53-year-old Vinod Kumar Pandey, was killed after a portion of the wall at the Gokulpuri Metro Station fell on him.
“My father was just crossing the road like any other person. He didn’t know this would happen out of the blue,” said Shivam, who, after receiving information about the accident, reached the Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital in Dilshad Garden where he was told about his father’s demise.
“I got to know about my father after reaching the hospital,” said Shivam while waiting to receive his father’s body.
Monu
A resident of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Colony of nearby Karawal Nagar area, Vinod was headed to work when the incident took place at 11am. He worked as a rice delivery agent, according to his family members.
Hailing from Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur, Vinod had been working in a wholesale shop for years now. Back from his hometown only two days ago following his younger daughter’s engagement, he was busy preparing for her wedding scheduled in April.
He is survived by his wife and three children — two daughters and son Shivam, who has studied till Class 12. His elder daughter is married and stays with her husband in Karawal Nagar here.
His elder son-in-law, Vikas Mishra, said Vinod was driving a battery scooter when “an entire block of metro wall” fell on him.
Shivam’s mother still lives in Sultanpur and hasn’t been told about the incident yet.
GTB hospital officials said Vinod was brought dead while four other persons injured in the accident are being treated for leg injuries at the Department of Orthopaedics.
Ajit
According to police, those injured are out of danger. Two motorcycles and as many scooters were damaged in the collapse.
The survivors said they were grateful they were wearing helmet at the time of the incident. One of them is 24-year-old Mohammed Tajir who said his helmet broke into two parts.“I was passing through the area after picking up medicines for my mother from a nearby pharmacy when suddenly, a huge boulder fell on my head and I lost consciousness for some time. Then, a PCR van came and took me inside. I then regained consciousness and saw my broken helmet and scooter lying on the road,” said Tajir, who underwent a CT scan to assess the impact of the collapse on his head.
Other survivors are Sandeep Kumar, Monu and Ajit who sell chains and zips near Gokulpuri and play drums at wedding ceremonies. They were passing by on a bike when they saw a huge chunk of debris falling.
“We were on the bike on our way home after doing some chores when suddenly, a huge slab collapsed. When we saw it, we tried to dodge it and ended up ramming into the divider,” said Ajit. Sandeep said he is having difficulty in sitting and standing but is happy that doctors have assured him that his health would gradually get better.
Ajit, 21, has suffered a fracture and will undergo a surgery to get an implant inserted in his right leg.
Sandeep and Monu are residents of Gokulpuri while Ajit lives in Balram Nagar in Ghaziabad. All three are distant relatives.
Speaking with The Indian Express, Ajit’s cousin Deepak Kumar said he is the sole earning member of the family and that the accident will hamper his income.
Lying on a stretcher at the GTB Hospital, Monu said as soon as the incident happened, police officials arrived from the nearby police station and picked them up.
According to Sandeep, Monu had a helmet on while Ajit, who was sitting in the middle, was not wearing it.
The helmet, though, could not save Vinod’s life. “What can a helmet do if such a huge concrete slab falls on a person…” questioned Shivam, surrounded by loved ones trying to console him.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has announced Rs 25 lakh as compensation to the family of the deceased. It also announced Rs 5 lakh as compensation for the grievously injured and Rs 1 lakh for those who received minor
injuries.
