NEW DELHI: Three men killed in the Chawri Bazar building collapse were due to return to Bihar for Diwali and Chhath Puja. They had booked train tickets. Instead, their bodies are being taken to their native villages in ambulances on the day they were meant to travel home.
Ranjani Devi, wife of Pankaj Sharma, said her husband had worked in Delhi for 20 years and saved for their daughter’s marriage. “My husband was the sole breadwinner. We have three children, and I don’t know how I will manage without him. He used to work overtime to save for our daughter’s wedding. He wanted to gift her a motorcycle,” Ranjani said.
She said she had never imagined coming to Delhi to collect her husband’s body. Pankaj was the eldest of five brothers. His brother, Virender Sharma, remained at the site until his body was recovered.
Pankaj’s cousin Arvind Sharma said the contractor was helping transport the bodies to their village. “Pankaj had worked as a labourer in Delhi for 20 years, while his family lived in Bihar. He was looking for a matrimonial match for his daughter. All three men are from the same village. We are taking them by ambulance, and the contractor is bearing the expense,” Arvind said.
The devastating news left Renu Devi shattered, as she lost her husband, Kishori Sah, in the incident. She stood barefoot outside the mortuary with their two sons.
She said the family was facing financial hardship and she did not know how she would provide for her children. “Whatever compensation or assistance the government or contractor provides is all we have to depend on now. We have no other source of support,” she said.
Her relative Dharamdas Shah, who works in Chandigarh, said that though the contractor is helping the family to take bodies, but what will come of that? “He has two sons, one of them is too young to understand what has happened to him, and the family has to live their life ahead. We demand that every family should get at least `20 lakh compensation. With the compensation, they can at least survive and their kids can complete their education,” Shah said.
Sanjeet’s brother, Ranjit Ram, said he was survived by his mother, wife and two children. He had worked as a labourer in Delhi for 10-12 years and was the family’s sole breadwinner, Ram said.
