RailEnquiry

It was the sort of thing you rarely get to see in a city, especially while travelling on a local train. An incident on the morning of July 31 revealed a lesser-known side of passengers for whom every minute counts. Without complaining about a 20-minute delay on a Dadar-bound train, people started cheering and congratulating each other. A girl child was born in the first class ladies’ compartment.The Virar- Dadar train had left on time at 6.18 am. Poonam Singh, who was pregnant, entered the first class compartment at Nalasopara accompanied by her mother. They were on their way to Bhgawati hospital in Borivli. A co-passenger said that both the women stood at the footboard as there was no place to sit. Ms. Singh started feeling contractions when the train reached Vasai and went into labour soon after. It was before the Government Railway Police could arrive with a stretcher to help her to a nearby hospital.The train remained stationed at Vasai. Meanwhile, three trained nurses — Rani Baby, Roshni Bhuvade and Ashwini Khanwilkar — who were in the same train stepped forward and decided to help the woman deliver. “When I heard what was happening, I got worried. I was at home when I got a phone call. But I was assured that my wife would be fine,” said her husband Raushan Singh.

Smooth delivery

The delivery went smoothly and what ensued was a thing seldom seen at railway stations — an announcement was made that a girl child was born in the train. Initial murmurs of irritation by passengers, who were by now on the platform, transformed into applause. “I saw many of the passengers calling their families and sharing the news. I did the same. Everyone wanted to get a glimpse of the baby but the mother and daughter were taken to hospital from there,” said Ruksana Shaikh, who was on the same train.

The duo was then taken to Kasturba hospital in Mumbai where they were being treated for Hepatitis B. When The Hindu contacted Mr .Singh, he was on his way home from the hospital. His wife was too tired to talk. “We will ask the railways to give us benefits. We will also file a case against Pulse Hospital in Nalasopara who refused to admit my wife even though we had registered her name five days before,” said Mr. Singh.