15 May,2015 07:36 AM IST | | Sachin Unhalekar
The deputy chief fire officer, who passed away yesterday, had given Rs 1 lakh from his own pocket to ensure that an injured colleague was admitted to a private hospital which was turning him away in 2008; the selfless gesture shamed the BMC into finally making emergency funds available last year
Sudhir Amin
When Deputy Fire Officer Sudhir Amin passed away yesterday from injuries sustained in last week's Kalbadevi blaze, the fire department and the city lost someone who was known not just for being brave, but also selfless.
RIP: Thanks to Amin, the fire department now has 18 ATM cards with a limit of Rs 2 lakh each to be used for the treatment of injured firemen
It was this selflessness that shamed the BMC into ensuring that higher-ups in the fire department were finally given emergency funds last year for the treatment of injured firemen, who would, until then, be turned away by private hospitals as they couldn't afford the fees.
Also Read: Kalbadevi fire: Third braveheart fireman passes away
Helping hand
In 2008, fire officer Abhay Mohite (35) had been injured in a tree-falling incident while on duty at Nariman Point and had been denied admission to the private Bombay Hospital because his family did not have money. Amin, who was an assistant divisional fire officer at the time, had paid R1 lakh from his own pocket for Mohite's treatment.
Kavita Sangrulkar, Mohite's sister, said, "Bombay Hospital had denied him admission because we did not have money. At that time, Amin paid Rs 1,00,000 from his own ATM card (pocket). Amin and my brother had good relations. He used to visit my brother."
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Mohite was admitted to the hospital and treatment was begun only after Amin made the payment. Even though Mohite did not survive, the incident raised awareness about the fact that private hospitals deny treatment to firemen for want of money.
This incident prompted the BMC to make emergency funds available to its firemen, all thanks to Sudhir Amin. Former Additional Municipal Commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar had taken the initiative for the project, which involved issuing ATM cards to access an account set up in the name of the fire department for the purpose.
Delay
A disagreement between the banks and BMC, however, led to the plan being delayed. While the BMC wanted the ATM cards to be issued in the name of the department and not individuals, banks maintained that the cards could not be issued in the name of an organisation.
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This disagreement ended on September 2014, when a decision was taken to issue the ATM cards in the names three people each in each of the six zones that the fire department - the Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Divisional Fire Officer and the Assistant Divisional Fire Officer.
The city's fire brigade, thus, has 18 such ATM cards, with a high limit of Rs 2 lakh each.
