Mumbai: Relatives of Ramdhani Yadav, who was killed on Saturday when a portion of the parapet at a metro rail construction site in Mulund came crashing down, have refused to claim his body, seeking ₹2 crore and a government job for one of the deceased’s daughters as compensation.
“My brother was the only earning member in his family,” Rajendra Singh Yadav, the deceased’s elder brother, told Hindustan Times. “With him gone, the family has no means to survive.”
Rajendra Yadav was among 40-50 people who mobilised near the accident site on Sunday morning, seeking adequate compensation. The crowd swelled as it moved to the Mulund police station around noon, and later to the offices of sitting MLA Mihir Kotecha and former MP Manoj Kotak, who held discussions regarding compensation with relatives of the deceased and community members till late into the night.
With talks slated to continue on Monday, Ramdhani Yadav’s body lay unclaimed at the Rajawadi Hospital’s morgue.
Kotecha, meanwhile, alleged serious lapses in safety at the incident site, which falls under his constituency.
“The company engaged for metro construction work should be terminated and replaced,” he said.
Reliance-Astaldi, a consortium comprising Reliance Infrastructure and Italy’s Astaldi SPA, is the main contractor for portions of the Metro 4 corridor including the incident, while Milan Road Buildtech is the subcontractor. Officials of both firms were among five persons arrested on Sunday.
The MMRDA, in an official statement, expressed deep regret over the incident and promised ₹20 lakh compensation for the deceased, and financial assistance to cover treatment costs of the injured.
Protest at site
Ramdhani Yadav, the sarpanch of Bharthani village in Uttar Pradesh, was killed when a portion of the parapet at a Metro 4 bridge construction site in Mulund crashed into an auto and a private car on Saturday night. He was travelling in the auto with two others – Rajkumar Yadav at the wheel, and fellow passenger Mahedra Yadav. All three were from the same village in Uttar Pradesh and were in the city to attend a wedding, family members told Hindustan Times.
Ramdhani Yadav’s relative Shashikant Yadav claimed that late at night on Saturday, representatives of the contractor approached them and offered ₹15 lakh as compensation, along with ₹5 lakh from the state government.
“They told us to take custody of the body. But we refused,” Shashikant Yadav told HT. “Ramdhani was the only earning member in his family. His wife and two daughters won’t be able to cope with his loss unless they are given fair compensation.”
Two of the daughters were yet to be married, while the youngest was still studying, said Rajendra Yadav, the deceased’s elder brother, who was part of the protest near the accident site.
The ₹20 lakh compensation announced by the MMRDA was grossly inadequate to cover the needs of his younger brother’s family, he said, adding, “We want a written assurance about a government job for one of his daughters and ₹2 crore compensation. Else we won’t claim his body.”
Relatives of Rajkumar Yadav and Mahendra Yadav, who are currently undergoing treatment, also sought fair compensation. While the government was covering treatment costs now, medical expenses in the long term could be very high, they anticipated.
Lapses alleged
MLA Mihir Kotecha, who held discussions with relatives of Ramdhani Yadav on Sunday and assured of all support, alleged serious lapses in safety at the incident site and demanded the contractor engaged for construction work be terminated.
“A few months ago, I had personally inspected the site and taken more than 200 photographs showing poor maintenance and procedural lapses. The tragedy could have been averted if the contracted company had taken proper safety measures,” he said.
In an official statement, the MMRDA expressed deep regret over the incident and extended condolences to the families of the deceased and the injured.
According to the statement, the deceased’s family will receive ₹5 lakh ex-gratia assistance from the state government, and ₹15 lakh from MMRDA, while the injured will get medical insurance compensation estimated at approximately ₹15–20 lakh, subject to assessment and policy terms.
The MMRDA was coordinating with various government departments, contractors and insurance agencies to ensure that all admissible amounts are processed on priority and that there are no procedural delays, the statement said.
“MMRDA will bear the entire cost of treatment including hospitalisation, various procedures, medicines, rehabilitation, and follow-up care. Compensation shall also be extended to the injured in accordance with contractual provisions governing the Metro projects,” an MMRDA official said.