Vehicle struggles to navigate the perennially under-repair stretch on Veer Abdul Hameed Road in Malad, which also has taxis and autos illegally parked
Jignesh Parmar, 27, who died waiting in an ambulance on Tuesday
All Jignesh Parmar needed was timely medical help. And, it wasn't too far away either. But the city's traffic didn't let that happen. The 27-year-old died in an ambulance waiting for treatment because the vehicle struggled for more than 20 minutes to cross barely 500 metres. Parmar, a car dealer, lived with his parents at Maharashtra Housing Board Colony near Gate No. 8 in Malvani, Malad West. He complained of severe chest pain on Tuesday and his brother-in-law took him to a nearby hospital around 10 am.
The densely populated Malvani is a traffic nightmare because of encroachment and unauthorised parking. Pics/Anurag Ahire
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His family was told to visit a bigger hospital as the local facility didn't have the vital equipment required to handle the case. The doctor advised them to travel in an ambulance to save time. However, the ambulance got caught in a massive jam and could not move for a long time. His family said it took them 20 minutes to reach Gate No. 7 from the local hospital. Parmar took his last breath in the vehicle in front of the Jama Masjid on Veer Abdul Hameed Road.
Jignesh’s parents at their home in Malvani on Thursday
The densely populated Malvani has always been a traffic nightmare for motorists, particularly the stretch between Mhada to Gate No. 1. It is the second-largest slum pocket in the city. Apart from seemingly never-ending construction work, it is perennially plagued by illegal encroachment and haphazard parking.
Ashish Katale says he helplessly watched his childhood friend slumping to his seat in the ambulance
"Aaj mera beta chala gaya. Main nahin chahti kisi aur ke saath aisa ho (I lost my son today. I don't want something like this to happen with anyone else). The roads here are so bad that you may spend hours trying to move out of Malvani. I request the authorities to complete the construction work in time," his grieving mother Ranjana told mid-day.
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The Malvani area in Malad is a motorist's nightmare due to seemingly never-ending construction work, illegal parking and encroachment
Parmar's childhood friend Ashish Katale said they left Mhada Care Hospital at 10.30 am for Life Line Hospital in Malad. But they could barely move as there was bumper-to-bumper traffic on both sides of Veer Abdul Hameed Road.
"When we were in front of Jama Masjid, Jignesh got up from the seat and looked out of the window. He was dejected seeing the number of vehicles ahead and slumped on his seat. I shook him but he didn't respond," said Katale.
Considering his condition, he was first taken to Hyatt Hospital at Gate No. 5 around 11.25 am, but the doctor there too advised them to rush to a bigger hospital. They finally reached Lifeline hospital around 12:15 pm where doctors declared Parmar dead.
"Had he received timely treatment, Jignesh would have been among us. He died because of Malvani's traffic," said Katale. Local resident Hussain Shaikh said there are 5 major bottlenecks in Malvani.
"The repair work on Abdul Hameed Road is under process. This causes traffic jams on one side. I have spoken to the local police, traffic and BMC officials to ensure smoother flow of vehicles," said Guardian Minister Aslam Shaikh who visited the family on Wednesday.
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