SC order shot in the arm for rly crusader

MUMBAI: Earlier this week, Samir Zaveri, the director, Accidents, Mumbai Suburban Railway Passengers Association, saw his long crusade for medical facilities at railway stations bear fruit. The Supreme Court upheld the high court interim order of March 26, 2009 for a pilot project to provide medical facilities on an experimental basis at a platform in Dadar station.
For Zaveri, who filed the petition, the issue is very close to his heart.The 40-year-old had lost both his legs in an accident when he was just a teenager. Ever since, Zaveri has been fighting the system to provide hope for those who have been injured or families who have lost a loved one in railway accidents.
Zaveri had come to Mumbai in 1987 from Gujarat to be trained by his uncle who was a pearl trader. Recollecting the day in 1989 when his life changed forever, Zaveri said "It was around 9.30 pm on a rainy day when I was crossing from east to west at a level crossing gate (Dattapada phatak) at Borivli station. At the time, there was no FOB at the station. I slipped on the tracks and fell down. The train was quite a distance away but by the time I could pick myself up, the wheels had gone over my legs. Two passersby picked me up and rushed me to Bhagwati Hospital. One of them carried my severed legs. I lost my legs just below the knees; I was conscious all through."
What followed was a complete withdrawal of his family and the girl he was to get engaged to in a month.
"There was no support from my family at all. My girlfriend left me. I got a Jaipur foot from JJ Hospital and taught myself to walk all over, just like a baby would," Zaveri said. Today, Zaveri has come a long way. In addition to being a technical analyst in the share market, Zaveri is also social activist who helps railway accident victims. He is married and has two children.
"I started giving out information brochures about the Jaipur foot in the coach for handicapped people in locals. Around 80% of all amputees have lost their limbs in railway accidents. Most victims start out with the 'God, why me?' stance after which they sink into depression, feel helpless, start fighting with their families and alienate them. Finally, only about 30% of them accept their condition," Zaveri said.
Zaveri gets family members to rally around and support the victims financially and emotionally. He said, "I have met some 600 victims in the last many years. I filed my first PIL in 2008 in Bombay HC against the railways. All I want is that the railways have adequate medical facilities at stations so that people who are injured do not die due to lack of medical facilities and the dead are identified and families do not have to run from pillar to post."