Warden, abandoned by cops and man who ran over her, battles for life

Traffic warden Beena Patels life has not been the same since the evening of January 21 when she was hit by a speeding car while she was regulating peakhour traffic near the Film City junction on the Western Express Highway WEHThe incident left her with severe brain injuries and Patel is now in need of urgent surgery that would cost Rs 45 lakh which her povertystricken family cannot afford Her husband Manish is knocking on all doors to try and get any financial help possibleThe car that ran her overBeena 33 a resident of Kurar has been working as a traffic warden for Secure1 Security Services in the Dindoshi division for the last two years Sources told midday that after being hit by the speeding car Bina fell on the busy road The driver of the car Mehboob Shaikh rushed her to a nearby hospitalThere she underwent brain surgery after which her initial medical expenses came up to R2 lakh This was borne by the owner of the car Ruchita Sanghvi 48 who requested Beenas family not to register a case against them However a few days down the line when the medical expenses increased further she stopped paying the hospital billsHer ID cardAfter this Beenas husband Manish who is a private labourer reached Vanrai police station and registered a case against Sanghvi and Shaikh Following that doctors told Manish that Beena needs to undergo another brain surgery immediately which would cost Rs 45 lakhThe family has no money to foot the bill Speaking about her health all Dr Aniruddha Ambekar of Lifeline Medicare hospital where she has been admitted said was Beenas condition is stableShe was in uniform when she was taken to the hospital from the accident siteKnocked on all doorsIn a bid to get financial assistance Manish has knocked on the doors of almost all charitable trusts and local politicians But none have come forward for support I have contacted all the trusts institutions and political parties who generally support people like me during such times But all of my efforts have proved to be futile because nobody has come forward to support me Manish told middayToday I am reeling under an acute financial crisis My wife earns Rs 12000 a month as traffic warden I am unable to get her discharged from the hospital because I have no money to pay the bill that is soaring every single day he added Last Thursday Manish met joint commissioner of police traffic Amitesh Kumar who informed Beenas employer Vaibhav More about the incident It is the prerogative of her employer to extend help Her employer has been apprised of the matter said KumarBeena with husband Manish PicsSatej ShindeApplied for insuranceWhen midday spoke to More he said I was informed a day after the accident I visited her at the hospital All of my employees are insured under the Employee State Insurance Corporation ESIC scheme to deal with such situations But since the car owner had assured Beenas family that they will bear the expenses the ESIC scheme was not activated He added I got to know on February 15 that the car owner has raised her hands Then I applied for the insurance online so that Beena could get financial assistance There has been no update on that application yetLate in approaching copsSenior inspector of Vanrai police station Jyotsana Rasam said The family of the victim was late in approaching us The case was registered on February 6 and the driver was arrested the next day A source said Beena was on duty when the incident occurred She was on duty between 2 pm to 1030pm She was dashed by the car at 745pmBut the police did not include section 353 Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty and registered the case under sections 279 rash driving and 338 Causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others of the Indian Penal Code making the case lighterUpon being asked it Rasam said She was not on duty when she met with the accident However sources said Beena was wearing her uniform when she was rushed to the hospital She had also been accompanied by a traffic constableRs 45 lakhEstimated cost of brain surgeryCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates