MUMBAI, JUNE 23: The railways have pegged the price of Sony Joseph's lost eye: at Rs 500. An amount which Joseph, who was blinded in the right eye by a stone flung by miscreants at the local she was travelling in on June 17, has, rejected outright. Although Ram Naik, State Minister for Railways, on Sunday, has reportedly assured that all her medical expenses would be borne by the railways, Joseph has, instead demanded that the railway authorities give her a job, as she was handicapped while travelling on a train.At present, 22-year-old Joseph is a computer programmer with a private firm at Andheri. She said she will continue with her job as soon as the doctors give her the go-ahead.
Western Railway (WR) officials, however, stated: ``The Railways do not owe any responsibility if such an incident occurs.'' Ravindra Tandon, Chief PRO (WR), declared: ``It was a sign of goodwill that our officer went and gave her Rs 500 on June 20''.
Joseph has now been discharged from Bhaktivedanta Hospital, Mira Road,and has returned to her residence and her seven-month-old baby at Arihant Shopping Centre, Nallasopara (East), Thane. She faults the railways for allowing slums to come up near tracks , encouraging `anti-social elements' to play dangerous pranks with commuters. ``And Rs 500 is what the Railway gives?'' she asks.
This amount was reportedly left on her hospital bed by officials despite her refusal to accept it. ``What will happen in Rs 500?,'' questions Joseph's counsellor Damodar Pandit. Doctors offer Joseph a `one per cent' chance of regaining her sight. ``She has been kept under observation for a week. A cosmetology will be adopted later by inserting a plastic eye to prevent the right eye's infection from spreading to the left,'' said doctors.
This has brought the family some solace. As may have the Mumbai Suburban Railway Passengers' Association's promise to pursue the case with the railways to ensure that Joseph gets justice.
But the Government Railway Police (GRP) has been sluggish in its response.It is yet to announce a comprehensive plan to prevent such incidents from recurring. Stated Tandon: ``With the help of the GRP and the Railway Protection Force, combing operations were undertaken between Mira Road and Borivli in the last two days, but not a single person has been apprehended, not even from the slum Bablipada, from where a stone was thrown.'' Special Inspector of Police (GRP), Ashok Desai said: ``Instructions have been given to the GRP to keep a strict vigil on such elements so that we can have a check on such incidents.'' He claimed that interfaces are being held between slum dwellers and the police to restrain teenagers and children from throwing stones on trains.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
