Ambulance could have saved a life

Of the five people who died after the mishap on Thursday, Amarnath of Bihar died at the hospital, while another, Praveen Bhosle, is battling for life at the Fortis Hospital.
Amid several complaints against the company one heard at the site and at the hospital that of Basha was the most vocal.

“They did not even arrange for an ambulance. I transported the bodies and the injured alike in this vehicle,” he cried, pointing at the MUV.

While the doctors at the hospital were not available for comments, labourers present outside the hospital were convinced that Amarnath could have been saved if there was an ambulance.

Basha was still gasping for breath when he claimed: “This is not the first incident at the site; there have been similar incidents in the past but all were hushed up. There was no death though.”

Karnataka State Labourers’ Welfare Trust State president D C Pappanna, emphasising out that over 2,000 people have been working at the site for the last 18 months, said: “There are absolutely no safety measures at the site. We have known instances where people have lost their fingers or hands but nothing was allowed to be reported.”

Amid the allegations and negotiations, Avadhesh Kumar was weeping quietly in a corner, outside the emergency section of the hospital. The little hope he had of his brother Amarnath surviving had been dashed.

“He has a one-year-old daughter. What do I tell his wife,” he asked, and did not speak for long after that. Gathering the much needed courage, he spoke after about 10 minutes: “My brother would not have died if there were adequate safety measures. Or may be, an ambulance.”

Other employees told Deccan Herald that all the five, who died after the mishap, were married and that their families were in the villages.