Believe it or not, no one died here

Veda Ramaswamy, Mumbai,
June 30, 2012 - Mid Day

Car containing five men was crushed by trailer on EEH, occupants walked away with a few bumps and bruises

Life in the fast lane: The car after being struck by the trailer at Nehru Nagar police station

Five men are now probably indebted to their lucky stars after they miraculously escaped a horrific car crash with only minor injuries. In the first of monsoon-related accidents recorded this season, a trailer collided with a car on the Eastern Express Highway at Suman Nagar late on Wednesday night. Despite the car being crushed, all five occupants managed to walk away relatively unscathed.

Around 12.30 am on Thursday, a group of four friends and a driver were on their way to Pune. Premanand Singh (23), Rakesh Singh (23), Thangmin Mate (19), Naorem Singh (20), along with the driver, Sachin Bantawane (30), were returning home from a two-day trip to Mumbai, when the accident occurred. A trailer coming from the opposite direction hit the car, which was heading to Pune.

“The trailer was plying on the wrong side of the road. The city had experienced its first heavy showers that night, which left the roads wet and slippery, causing the front-left tyre of the trailer to come loose. The driver then lost control of the vehicle and rammed into the front side of the car,” said Dhananjay Bagayatkar, senior police inspector of Nehru Nagar police station. He also added that the consequences would have been disastrous had the two vehicles been speeding, but since they weren’t, there were no casualties.

The five passengers in the car were taken aback on realising their narrow escape from death. “Everything happened in a matter of seconds. When we saw the trailer coming towards us, there was no time to react,” said Thangmin Mate, a student. Recounting the moments before impact, Naorem Singh said, “I just closed my eyes when I saw the trailer approaching so close. The impact was huge, but fortunately, none of us suffered grievous injuries.”

After the passengers regained their bearings, they tried to nab the driver of the trailer, but he escaped. They then hailed a cab and rushed to Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General (LTMG) hospital, where they were admitted to the casualty ward at 2 am. “Premanand had pelvic injuries, while Naorem and Rakesh suffered from chest injuries. Sachin and Thangmin had to get a few stitches on the head. But considering the magnitude of the accident, they were lucky to get away with minor injuries,” said Dr Rajeev Singh, assistant medical officer, LTMG hospital. All were discharged at 2.30 pm on the same day.

The driver of the car, Sachin Bantawane, who also happens to be the co-owner of a travel agency in Pune that owns the car, said, “The car has been kept at Nehru Nagar police station. Once my health gets better, I will get the car back.”

While the trailer suffered minimal damage, the car bore the entire force of the impact. “The interiors of the car seem fine, but externally, it has been smashed in the front, dented on the right-side, with broken window-panes and cracked windshields,” added Bantawane.

Phoolchand Ramlakhan Saroj, the driver of the trailer who was also unhurt in the crash, has been arrested under Sections 279, 337, 338 and 427 of the Indian Penal Code. The trailer has been seized by the Suman Nagar police chowki. 

Link to the original article here.

10-yr-old caught in collision between two dumpers

Veda Ramaswamy and Anuradha Varanasi, Mumbai,
June 28, 2012 - Mid Day

The boy, who was playing with his friends, ventured into restricted area at Deonar dumping ground despite being warned against doing so

Dead end: As one of the dumpers was driving on the wrong side of the road, the two collided, with Shahrukh caught in between

Not paying heed to rules and warnings often leads to mishap, and yesterday afternoon was no different. A 10-year-old boy from Shivaji Nagar, who was playing with friends at Deonar dumping ground, was severely injured in an accident involving two dumper trucks. In spite of entry into the area being prohibited to all but the workers, the boy and his friends had ventured in, ignoring a warning from his own father.

At around noon, Shahrukh Sheikh, who was playing with his friends, went to the middle of the road, unaware of the two garbage dumpers that were approaching him from either end. As one of the dumpers was driving on the wrong side of the road, the two collided, with Shahrukh caught in between.

“The two vehicles were coming from opposite directions, and Shahrukh was playing with his school friends. He was so engrossed in the game that he failed to notice the dumpers plying on the road. We had warned him not to play in that area, but he did not listen to us,” said Ayub Sheikh, his father.

After the mishap, his friends alerted his family members, who immediately took him to Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General (LTMG) Hospital, where he was admitted to the emergency ward at 2:15 pm.

“He is suffering from blunt chest trauma and abdominal injuries. His blood pressure is very low. He is in a state of consciousness, but will be kept under observation tonight,” said Dr Rakesh Verma, assistant dean, LTMG hospital.

No complaint has been registered yet with the police. Ravikant Kadam, assistant sub-inspector of Shivaji Nagar police station, said, “One of the dumpers (MH01L5622) was driving on the wrong side of the lane. If a complaint is registered, the driver could be arrested under Sections 338 and 279 of the Indian Penal Code, but the family is reluctant to do so, as the victim had entered a prohibited area.”  

Link to the original article here.

BMC and hospitals set to fight malaria this monsoon

Team Sunday Mid Day, Mumbai
June 10, 2012 - Mid Day

A BMC worker carries out fogging at Parel ahead of body’s drive to control malaria and dengue during the monsoons last year

Although malaria cases in the city have dropped by almost 60 per cent for the period of January to May as compared to the same period last year, this monsoon, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will also survey abandoned buildings in addition to under-construction sites to keep a check on the spread of the disease.

According to Additional Municipal Commissioner (Health) Manisha Mhaisakar, “There has been a 50 per cent drop in cases from 2010-11. Over 6,000 cases of malaria have been recorded in the city from January to May. This shows a reduction of almost 60 per cent as compared to the same period last year.

This time we will also conduct 100 health camps across the city.” A BMC official from the health department added, on condition of anonymity, that as soon as cases of jaundice and gastroenteritis are reported at any of the civic hospitals, hydraulic engineers will be directed to the locality where the patients reside, to repair any leakage.

Of 2,622 construction sites, civic officials have visited 2,078. They found water stagnation and vector breeding at 619 buildings, of which 600 have been cleared. This year, the BMC has marked G South ward, E ward and K East ward as critical malaria-prone areas in the city. Six thousand posters have been distributed and an awareness campaign will be conducted across 1,38,000 buildings in the city.

“Data for 2012 shows a positive trend, with 6,762 cases of malaria registered in five months, as compared to 21,366 cases for the same time duration, last year. There was a 48 per cent decline in 2011, with 39,822 cases registered as compared to 76,755 cases in 2010. We hope to tackle malaria successfully this year as well,” said Dr Mangala Gomade, head of epidemiology, BMC.

Hospitals ready

City hospitals say they are ready to combat an outbreak, if it happens. At KEM Hospital, Lower Parel, AMO Dr Pravin Bangar said that no cases of malaria or dengue have come in so far. While part of the ground floor in the old building continues to undergo renovation, an OPD is scheduled to be set up on Monday to provide treatment for monsoon-related illnesses.

One hundred and eighty, 120, 140 and 590 beds have been set up for malaria and dengue cases in KEM, Nair, Sion and Kasturba Hospital, respectively. There are 2,147 beds at the other 16 peripheral hospitals of the BMC in the city.

While the malaria menace has started to blanket the Chembur suburbs, it is yet to become a peril in areas like Ghatkopar and Sion. The medical superintendent of Rajawadi Hospital, Dr Shubhash Poyekar, said, “Our hospital has not yet registered an outbreak of malaria cases.

Being a malaria-endemic region, receiving 10-12 cases a day is a regular trend in the monsoon.” Dr Rajeev Singh, AMO, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital, Sion, added, “The monsoon has just hit the city. Cases of malaria will increase soon.”

Reality bites

6,762 cases of malaria have been registered in five months, as compared to 21,366 cases for the same period last year. There was a 48 per cent decline in 2011, with 39,822 cases registered as compared to 76,755 cases in 2010

(With inputs from Rinkita Gurav, Aditya Hariharan, Anuradha Varanasi & Veda Ramaswamy)

Link to the original article available here.