Kandivali fire: Kin of two burn victims seeking financial aid

Rajeshwari Bhartare and Laxmi Yadav worked in the same house in Pavan Dham Veena Santoor building

The families of the two Kandivli fire victims have a ray of hope as 24-year-old Rajeshwari Bhartare and Laxmi Yadav, 40, can now speak. Meanwhile, both families expect financial support from their employers; in Rajeshwari's case, the company that hired her.

Rajeshwari used to take care of an elderly woman and served as a 24/7 in-house caregiver. She was hired on a contractual basis by Hyderabad-based Curans Care & Wellness. Laxmi was a domestic help and both worked in the same house in Pavan Dham Veena Santoor building at Mahavir Nagar.

The building caught fire on Monday, claiming the lives of the daughter and 6-year-old grandson of the elderly woman, while leaving Rajeshwari and Laxmi with severe burn injuries (90 per cent and 45-50 per cent, respectively) as all four attempted to escape and save their lives.

"We spoke with someone from the company once after the incident and now they are ignoring our calls," said Krishna, Rajeshwari's 21-year-old brother, who travelled from their village Ramunaik Tanda in Ummerkhed taluka under Yavatmal district to Chinchpokli's Kasturba hospital with their mother to look after his sister's treatment. The family is involved in farming back in the village and was financially dependent on Rajeshwari.

Krishna added that Curans Care & Wellness needs to continue paying Rajeshwari her salary of R15,000 per month until her recovery as her well-being while on duty is their responsibility.

Rajeshwari's cousin Pravin Mule said, "She was made to work as an in-house 24/7 caregiver with no insurance or other benefits on such a low salary in a city like Mumbai." Curans has not yet responded to mid-day's queries.

In Laxmi's case, her 17-year-old son Mahesh, as well as her husband, are daily wage labourers who live in a makeshift house in Borivli. Relatives of Dr Glory Valthaty and her 6-year-old son, the deceased victims of the fire, for whom the two worked, reached out to both families, offering emotional support.

"They came to meet us today and told us to reach out in case help is needed," said Mahesh. However, financial and medical uncertainty is still a concern for both families.

Dr Chandrakant Pawar, in charge of Kasturba hospital, told mid-day that statistically speaking the chances of survival are not looking good given the severity of burns.

"They are still on oxygen support and their condition continues to be critical. In such cases, patients can go into septicemia even if they look stable outwardly. It is just to wait and watch now, and hope for a better outcome," Dr Pawar said.

Septicemia in burn victims refers to a stage where an infection from the burns spreads throughout the bloodstream, causing widespread inflammation and organ dysfunction. "This can prove fatal," he added.

11.15am
Approx time fire broke out in building on Monday