Tragedy struck the family of Anil Pardhi, who lost four members of his family when the Shankarlok building adjacent to the chawl where they resided collapsed. The incident occurred around 11.45 am yesterday, and killed seven, including women and children, and injuring four, who were admitted to V N Desai Hospital in Santacruz.
Pardhi lost his sons Aditya (10) and Ayush (7), their mother Rajashree (35) and his own mother Sundarabai (66). The family had moved into this chawl recently.
itabai Kesarkar fractured her leg, while her grandson Akshay (below) suffered injuries to his back and leg. pic/Pradeep Dhivar
itabai Kesarkar fractured her leg, while her grandson Akshay (below) suffered injuries to his back and leg. pic/Pradeep Dhivar
Speaking to mid-day, his old neighbour Vinod Tamhankar said, “He used to live with his family in Shanti Nagar earlier, and shifted here a year back when his previous chawl went into redevelopment. He works with an outlet store of Asian Paints and was at work when the mishap took place.”
Another resident, Kantilal Patel (56), lost his wife Chandraben (46). “My wife is no more, and I’ve lost all my valuables and home. It is highly unfair that we should suffer because a family refused to vacate a building even after it was declared dilapidated by the BMC,” said Patel, referring to the two families that refused to vacate the dilapidated building. He works at a private petrol pump in south Mumbai.
Sudha Shreedharan (32), who stayed in the ground floor of the building, also died in the incident. She lived with her lawyer sister, Sandhya, and her brother, Satyam, who was injured. It was Sandhya who had got a stay order stopping the demolition of the said building. She refused to comment.
Her relative said, “She is now in a state of shock. Her brother who works in Abu Dhabi will be flying down for her last rites.”
The injured
Doctors at the hospital said that the injured mostly sustained minor injuries except for Sitabai Kesarkar (70), who fractured a leg. Medical superintendent Dr Pimple said her injuries were more serious than the others.
Sitabai’s grandson Akshay (21) was taking a bath in a washroom outside when he heard a loud crash. “My parents were out for work. As soon as I heard the crashing sound, I rushed in and tried to carry my grandmother outside, when a slab fell on us,” said Akshay, a TYBCom student from Chetna College. He suffered minor injuries on his back and leg. The Kesarkars had been staying in the chawl for 30 years.
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