Cement heap at Andheri station costs woman Rs 20k after nasty fall

A 48-year-old woman injured her right hand after tripping on a cement mound on Andheri station platform 2; not only did she have to miss work for a week, she has so far spent Rs 20,000 on the treatment

Navigating peak hour crowds at a major railway station like Andheri is hard enough for commuters every day, but it turned into a painful and costly affair for a 48-year-old woman who tripped on a mound of cement on platform 2 and had to shell out Rs 20,000 to treat the resulting injury.

The cement had allegedly solidified there while platform levelling work was being carried out at the station, and no one had bothered to break or remove it after the project was completed.

Commuters dodge the mound to avoid falling. Shirin said it must be removed as it poses a danger to commuters every day. Pics/Sharad Vegda

A resident of Andheri (West), Shirin Poonawalla was hurrying to catch the 9 am train to work on July 30. Swept along by the crowd, Shirin was unable to see the heap of cement lying just outside the first class ladies compartment.

“I was moving with the crowd towards the compartment when I suddenly tripped over the cement. I landed directly on my right hand. There was a sense of acute pain and I realised that something was wrong. Other passengers helped me get up and gave me water. By that time my arm had started to swell and the pain was getting worse, so I called my husband who took me to a hospital just outside the station,” she recalled, adding that there weren’t any GRP or RPF officials present to come to her aid.

After an X-ray, the doctors confirmed that the ligament in Shirin’s right hand was torn and she would have to wear a cast for a week.

Shirin Poonawalla tripped on the cement mound and fell on her right hand, tearing the ligament within.

During that entire period, Shirin could not report for duty at the multinational bank at Nariman Point where she worked. At the end of the week, the cast was removed and doctors put on a bandage to protect the ligament from strain. Since Monday, Shirin has been working from home, still unable to commute and go to office. She expects to be able to join work properly by August 19. Not only did the fall cause her pain and force her to miss work, she also ended up spending about R20,000 on the treatment.

Now the banker intends to write a letter of complaint to the stationmaster to ensure that the cement is removed from the platform and further accidents are prevented. “Now that I am better and the cast has come off, I'll write to the stationmaster and other railway authorities to point out this difficulty people are facing at the platform. For all you know tomorrow there could be a more serious incident there,” said Shirin.

Officialspeak
Sagar Kulkarni, stationmaster at Andheri said that the problem had arisen due to extensive work at the station. “We have realised the issue and we will update the engineering department regarding the same. The cement was probably left over after the platform levelling, but we can at least cut down its height so that such incidents don’t take place,” he said, adding that the job would be done on Monday, after the weekend.

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