Mumbai: One family member was dead, two others were hospitalised, and a wedding trip turned into a nightmare after a parapet segment of an underconstruction Metro 4 viaduct structure fell on an autorickshaw and a car passing below on LBS Road in Mulund on Saturday.On Sunday, the family asked: If MMRDA would recover Rs 5 crore in fines from the contractor, why should they accept anything less than Rs 1 crore?The relatives refused to accept the body of the deceased, Ramdhan Yadav (50), until press time, as their demand remained unmet. “His body is the proof of the tragedy on us. Once we take his body back to our village and proceed with cremation, we will be left on our own,” said Sarvesh Yadav, a relative. Ramdhan, a sarpanch of Barsathi village in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur, is survived by three daughters aged 24, 16 and 12. By evening, MMRDA announced a compensation package of Rs 35 lakh-Rs 40 lakh, which included Rs 15 lakh financial aid from the authority, an insurance sum of Rs 15-20 lakh, and a Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia payment.As the tragedy fell on the day of a family wedding, several relatives were already in Mumbai. The next day, the family was scattered: some kept watch at Upasani Hospital, where Mahendra (52) and Rajkumar (25) remained in critical condition; others gathered at Mulund police station. However, most of them were at the office of MLA Mihir Kotecha, seeking justice, with one govt job for the immediate kin of Ramdhan and a total compensation of no less than Rs 1 crore to Rs 2 crore. “Their logic was that if MMRDA fined the contractor Rs 5 crore, that money should reach the family, as they lost a human being. We sympathise with the family and are willing to help them to the best of our capacity,” said Kotecha. However, a source close to the MLA said the family was going too far in their demands.Standing outside the hospital, Rajkumar’s cousin Urmila Yadav said, “No politician came forward to even fix our food and water for the day.” She said that even the washroom facilities at the hospital were limited for the female members; the hospital allowed only a handful inside the building.No statement came from the hospital, nor was the press allowed to interact with the doctors or the staff. Relatives said Rajkumar, the autorickshaw driver, underwent an operation, but he was still not conscious. They said the damage to the leg was extensive, and his upper body was also severely injured. He has a 21-year-old son and a teenage daughter, and he is the only earning member. While Mahendra could speak, he had broken ribs and remained critical.
