NEW DELHI: Sangeeta, 46, would step out of her house every morning and hail an auto-rickshaw for a share ride to reach the rubber factory that paid her Rs 8,000 for the job of packing items.
For the 32-km journey from Krishna Vihar to Jhilmil Industrial area, she took two separate rickshaws that cost her Rs 40 each. At times, she would walk about 8 km to save the money spent on commuting. On Saturday, the woman wanted to take leave from work as she felt sick but decided to carry on as an off on a weekend day would mean the deduction of her two-day salary. She left the house for the last time at 8 am.
Sangeeta is among the three, who died in the fire that broke out in the factory that manufactures plastic and rubber products earlier in the day.
And now her son Sunny Kumar, 14, who came to the city for a break after his Class 10 exams about a month back, repents letting her go even after she complained of dizziness. “She said she was sick but couldn’t afford an off as her two-day salary would have been deducted for leave” Kumar said.
Sangeeta’s husband, Shravan Prasad, a labourer at a Nickel factory, is a “drunkard”, according to the relatives.“Sangeeta worked hard and would send her savings to their family in Nalanda,” a neighbour said.