The collapse of the Banoo Apartments building could have led to a much larger loss of life had it not been for Aslam Ansari’s family, especially his 8-year-old daughter, Asma. The first floor residents of the building woke up the rest of the residents of the building before the collapse after Asma alerted her own family.
The fifth class student of the nearby Patel High School had, in the early hours of Saturday, found dust falling from the ceiling and cracks widening in the walls, after which she alerted her mother. Mr Ansari’s family of 10 evacuated the premises soon after, but could not save their belongings.
“My daughter was quite suspicious since midnight and she had enquired about the cracks visible for the last two-three days. But, just before the accident, she woke up and alerted her mother and advised leaving the flat,” said Mr Ansari (36), who works as a fabricator in an aluminum shop at Masjid. “I was sleeping in the balcony and at around 6 am, she came and woke me up insisting that we leave the flat immediately. I alerted all the residents in the vicinity and in the next 10-15 minutes, everybody left the building,” he added.
When asked what prompted her to wake her parents up, Asma said, “I was not feeling well, suddenly I woke up and found dust falling and cracks of walls getting widened. I asked my mother about this and she asked me to approach my father.”
This act of sensitivity impressed Thane Municipal Council (TMC) commissioner Aseem Gupta who said, “I have heard about the heroic efforts of Asma and her family. She deserves great applause for this life-saving act.”
The Ansari family, like other flat owners, find their future dark. “I heard that the TMC is providing alternate accommodation at a rent of `2,000 per month. But where would I find that money? I earn `6,000, how can I bear one third of the money as rent, when I have lost every thing in rubble,” asked Mr Ansari.