Indian who survived fall from 9th floor in UAE heads home

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Indian who survived fall from 9th floor in UAE heads home
Ashok Choudhari (right)

Ajman - His family also received Dh18,702 as compensation.

by

Dhanusha Gokulan

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Published: Mon 23 Jul 2018, 6:47 PM

Last updated: Tue 24 Jul 2018, 8:50 AM

An Indian worker who survived a fall from the ninth floor of a construction site in Ajman has finally been repatriated back home to India.
Thanks to the timely intervention by officials at the Indian Consulate General in Dubai and the Indian Association in Ajman, and the benevolence of Khalifa Hospital in Ajman, Bihar native Ashok Choudhari flew back home to his family on Thursday. Ashok, who arrived in the UAE on a visit visa late last year, found part-time work in a construction site in Ajman.
Survived a grave accident 
While working on the site in December last year, Ashok slipped from the scaffolding on the ninth floor and landed on a construction site elevator, said Roop Sidhu, general secretary of the Indian Association in Ajman. "He broke one leg, had a hip fracture on another, and suffered severe head injuries. The owners of the construction company rushed him to Khalifa Hospital in Ajman. We are told he was in a state of coma when he first arrived at the hospital." 
Roop added: "He underwent two surgeries for his head injuries." 
Furthermore, his residency status was not made permanent, and he suffered the injuries while he was on visit visa, said Roop. Once Ashok recovered from the surgeries, he'd lost his memories and was not able to walk or behave coherently. Khalifa Hospital contacted the owner of the construction company and the Indian Association in Ajman about Ashok's case. The owner, with the help of the association, placed Ashok on physiotherapy after which he began showing small signs of improvement. 
Given his condition, the identity of Ashok's family could not be traced. However, with consulate intervention and help from Bihar State Police, Roop was able to locate his family in their village in Ahiyapur, 160km away from Patna. 
"He wasn't showing any consistent behaviour and was communicating by making loud noises. After the physiotherapy, his condition began improving. He would shed tears when I spoke to him about his mother Kunti Devi," said Roop.
Roop said: "Even if he was to go back, there was no way the family could take care of him without financial help. The company had to pay for damages." In a bid to send Ashok back home with compensation for the accident, the case was referred to Ajman Public Prosecution.
Safe repatriation 
Sumati Vasudev, Acting Consul-General and Labour Attaché at the Indian Consulate, said: "We met with the prosecution and spoke to the family who agreed to a settlement. Khalifa Hospital was also very helpful as they wrote off the entire cost of his treatment." 
After much negotiation and intervention, the company agreed to pay Dh18,702 (Rs 350,000) as compensation to the family which has been sent directly to them. "The company also paid for his air ticket and sent another worker to accompany him to India," she added. 
She, accompanied with a consulate official and Roop, attended Ashok till the airport. "The consulate was in frequent touch with us over this case as well. They were even ready to provide tickets. However, the business owner paid for it instead," he added.

Family worried about future
Santhosh Choudhari, Ashok's younger brother, who also works as a construction worker in New Delhi told Khaleej Times that their entire family was heavily dependent on Ashok since he was the primary breadwinner. 
"We are four brothers and one sister. Ashok is the oldest brother, and he is married with two daughters aged two and four. His wife also works on a construction site, and our father is a farmer. We had much hope when he left for the UAE," said Santhosh. 
He added: "We are happy that he has returned. However, he can't walk or talk properly. He was two daughters, and we want to help them by taking him for regular physiotherapy to a bigger hospital in Patna (capital of Bihar). Given the current circumstances, we can't afford it. His wife spends all her time taking care of him, who will take care of the children," sighed Santhosh.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com



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