This family lost its sole earning member to a Metro accident last month. It is still awaiting compensation. Mr Sreedharan, are you listening?

It was after a long wait that Manju Ganpat finally came on the telephone line. It has been raining incessantly in Sasaram and she didn't have an umbrella to walk to her neighbour's house to take the phone call. "Mere ghar pe phone nahin hain (I don't have a telephone connection)," she said apologetically.u00a0u00a0



The conversation started with Delhi Metro and her husband, Ganpat Rai's accidental death last month while working at the network's Khanpur site in south Delhi.

Life in a Metro: Manju Rai with her sons after her husband's death at a Metro site. "I had to sell my ornaments to cremate my husband," says Manju, as she awaits compensation. PIC/SUBHASH BAROLIA

Manju didn't speak for a while and then, her soft sobs broke the silence. "I had to sell my ornaments to cremate him (Ganpat Rai). I don't know how I will feed my two sons. He (Ganpat) shifted to Delhi to provide for us better but negligence on the part of the Metro authorities took everything away from us," she said, snivels punctuating the static in the line.u00a0

Thirty-year-old Ganpat Rai shifted from Bhojpur to Delhi to ensure his two sons living in the remotest corner of Bihar could get quality education. But he before he could do much for his family, he was electrocuted while driving a dumper at the Khanpur Metro site on April 17.

"I don't have a job, no money and have been shunned by my in-laws as well. He (Ganpat) wanted to educate the two kids but now I don't know how I will fulfill his dream," said Manju, alleging she has not received any compensation from anyone. "The contractor (Gammon India) promised to give us Rs 50,000, but we have not received anything." Manju has shifted to her parents' house in Sasaram to feed her family.

Manju has heard about Sunday's accident and sympathises with the families of the five workers who were killed in the mishap.

"I heard the news on radio. It is really painful. Even after repeated accidents, the government has its eyes shut. Labourers are toiling to construct the Metro rail in Delhi, a project for which the government is patting its back. But the labourers are not treated as human beings. At least their safety should be ensured. I doubt the families of the labourers killed or injured in Sunday's Metro accident will receive any compensation," said Manju.

The count...
July 13:u00a0 Six people, including an engineer, were killed when a pre-fabricated concrete segment of an under-construction Metro viaduct collapsed along with a portion of the girder launcher in south Delhi. Fifteen people were injured in the incident on the Central Secretariat-Badarpur line that occurred on the intersection of Lala Lajpat Rai Path and Kalka Devi Marg.

Oct 19, 2008: An under-construction flyover collapsed at Laxmi Nagar in east Delhi because of mechanical failure. Nearly 30 were injured