It was a regular work day for Lohith Sulakhe and Tejaswini. The young couple, accompanied by their twins Vihaan and Vismita, were headed towards Manyata Tech Park. The couple had enrolled the twins, a boy and a girl, in a babysitting facility located close to Tejaswini’s office. On their way, tragedy struck, as a reinforcement pillar in a metro construction site in Nagavara collapsed on them. After the structure fell, Vihaan and Tejaswini, who were riding pillion on a scooter, succumbed to their injuries while Lohit and Vismita remained safe.
Tejaswini was a software engineer who worked at Motorola in Bengaluru while Lohit works as a civil engineer. The couple got married in 2017 and gave birth to twins two years ago.
“I received a call at 10.15 am today that my son had been in an accident, I didn't think it was serious. I was travelling on the same road to get to the hospital and there was heavy traffic congestion. Since I did not know it was a serious accident, I didn't even realise it was blocked for the same reason,” recalled Vijay Kumar Sulakhe, Lohit’s father.
While Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) Managing Director, Anjum Parwez announced a compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the family, Lohit’s father said that as of 4pm, no one from BMRCL had approached the family and he was not aware of any compensation being offered. “No one has come and spoken to us. The government should have inquired about it. Can anyone bring back the little life that was lost? Is there any equivalent compensation to that,” he asked.
The family also said that they felt that the authorities were taking the situation lightly. “Many vehicles go through that road and they have left only five metres on the left and right side of the pillar, it was so big. They should have put safety checks in place. The government must pay attention to this and must conduct a proper inquiry,” Vijay Kumar further said.