Fareeda says her husband Pasha was the sole breadwinner of the family, driving an auto to take care of his extended family.
Published Sep 05, 2023 | 8:30 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 05, 2023 | 8:30 AM
The deceased was committed to educating both of his young daughters. (Supplied)
Fareeda Begum was a happy young mother of two little girls until a tree went crashing on a Hyderabad road. The tree crushed her 36-year-old husband Mohammad Ghouse Pasha to death on Saturday, 2 September.
Two days after his death, neither the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) nor the Telangana Forest Department came forward to take responsibility for the incident.
Fareeda’s dream of educating her daughters — four-year-old Aliya Fatima and three-year-old Anam Fatima — would not materialise until someone took responsibility and compensated the family that lost its sole breadwinner. With dignity taking a back seat, the young widow is pleading for help.
Pasha was at the traffic signal near the Old MLA Quarters at Hyderguda when the huge tree crushed him along with his autorickshaw.
He was on his regular route from Ramkote to Hyderguda when the incident occurred. He had stopped at the traffic signal just before the tree fell on him.
“We found that no one was involved in the death of Mohammad Ghouse. He was travelling on that route and stopped for a while and the tree fell on his auto. So, we registered a case of accidental death,” Narayanguda Inspector U Chandrasekhar told South First.
Concerned citizens and activists, however, are not willing to let it go. They have demanded that the authorities initiate immediate action to prevent the occurrence of such incidents.
Pasha was not an autorickshaw driver until the Covid-19 pandemic stuck. He was working at the reception of the Administrative Staff College of India in the Khairatabad area of Hyderabad before being pink-slipped during the pandemic.
The family of the deceased. (Supplied)
He did not sit back and rue his predicament. “He learnt to drive an auto in the evenings and started driving one after losing his job,” Fareeda, widowed at 25, told South First.
“My husband was the sole earning member of the family. He was trying to get his youngest sister married,” she said with her two daughters at her side.
Beside his wife and daughters, Pasha was also taking care of his bedridden father, mother, and sister when the tree cut his life short.
Aliya and Anam did not seem to have — nor could they be expected to have — comprehended the gravity of the situation.
“He wanted to educate our daughters. I, too, want them educated. I have completed my Intermediate. I request the government to provide me with a job and a double-bedroom flat. We have reached a situation where we are pleading with people to donate some money to us,” said Fareeda.
Majlis Bachao Tahreek spokesperson Amjed Ullah Khan visited the family.
“If the GHMC had taken action and cut the tree, the incident would have been avoided. Neither the GHMC Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi nor Khairtabad MLA Nagender has tried to get compensation for the family of the deceased. Municipal Administration Minister KT Rama should provide the family compensation and a government job,” he said.
Very sad incident happened at Basheer Bagh in which a tree fell on an auto killing Mohd Ghouse Pasha (Driver) on spot survived by wife and two minor daughters, Req @KTRBRS to provide a Govt job to deseased wife, ex-gratia of Rs/ 10.0 lakhs with a 2 bedroom flat. @GadwalvijayaTRS pic.twitter.com/11HrhhpaXV
— Amjed Ullah Khan MBT (@amjedmbt) September 2, 2023
Several trees are overgrown with large branches that can fall any time. (Supplied)
“We can act only if the land is under a demarcated forest area. In this case, it is the responsibility of the GHMC, because it planted the trees and they have grown huge now,” said District Forest Officer M Joji.
Uday Krishna Peddireddi of the Vata Foundation, a non-profit organisation working towards protecting trees, told South First, “There is a Tree Protection Committee (TPC), but my question is: What is their duty? Are they responsible only for permitting to cut down trees or translocate them? They should also check the condition of the trees!”
He added: “The Vata Foundation has for years now been raising the issue of concrete choking the roots of trees. There was a similar incident a few years ago at Sainikpuri, Hyderabad. The GHMC blamed the Forest Department, saying that it raised a complaint but no action was taken.”
He also issued a dire warning: “There are several grown trees in every locality that might fall any day due to concrete structures weakening their roots.”
A tea-stall worker near the Old MLA Quarters said the public could do nothing to save lives.
He had witnessed Pasha’s death. “We ran to save the auto driver, but he was completely crushed,” noted the stall worker.
“I have been here for five years. You can see a huge tree right in front of my stall. Its branches have grown very old. If one of them snaps, people will be crushed. We, the public, cannot touch them for fear of complaints against us. So, what could be the solution?” he asked.
One of the local residents who also witnessed the incident said, “I was sitting outside when I saw the huge tree falling. As far as I know, the roots of the tree were damaged. I was shivering for hours because there was a man inside the vehicle and he died on the spot. There is no guarantee for safety as there are very old trees in this locality.”
