New Delhi: The Delhi Chief Miniter Arvind Kejriwal announced on Monday that 3,000 road accident victims had been saved this year under the scheme "Farishtey Dilli Ke." It was a statistical representation of the many lives that had been saved by a passerby. The many saved lives had many unsung stories at the official launch of the scheme "Farishtey Dilli Ke" launched by the CM.
Beaming with pride, a garments businessman, Rahul Bunani said, "I have rushed five road accident victims to the hospitals so far in various parts of the city. Six moths ago I was driving with my friends around 5 am when my friends and I noticed a car on the road. It appeared it had a bad accident. When I went near the car, I saw a man bleeding profusely inside the car. We rushed him to the nearest hospital."
"In Ashok Vihar I witnessed another victim of a road accident who was seriously injured. A similar incident took place four months ago on Haridwar Highway. Each time I left my work and whatever meetings I had scheduled and tried to save a person's life. I did my bit and the Delhi government is also doing their bit. Schemes like these really help people a lot especially the poor," Bunani said. This was not the end of his heroic acts.
"We live in an era where people are phone addicts and avoid taking action in a situation but have the time to binge watch a suffering man. A few months ago, I was on my scooty when I noticed a crowd on the road. On closer inspection, I saw a wounded man with blood oozing from his skull lying in a semi-conscious state," the garments businessman said as he went on to complete his narrative.
"People were taking videos of the injured man but no one came forward to help him. I told the man to sit on the pillion seat and I shifted my belongings and kept it in front. I rushed him from Geeta Colony flyover to Hedgewar Hospital. I waited for the doctor to treat him. After the treatment, the doctor said that he might not have survived, had I brought him 20 minutes later," Bunani said. A driver was being rushed to the hospital by a businessman and neither knew each other and neither cared. Bunani only know the first accident victim's name that is Asif, and now he is alive is all that matters to him.
When officials asked him to provide his ID, he did but refused to give his account number as he did not want any reward. He said, "helping people in such situations is the best reward, I, too, ride a scooty and I could be in similar circumstances too. I have seen a lot of people benefiting from this scheme. I think this is a wonderful scheme specially for those who cannot afford expensive treatments in an accident."
Jai Ram from Bihar had come to Delhi 12 years ago in hope of a job. Last year, something hit him but he cannot remember what it was. He was lying there in a pool of blood when he was found by a good samaritan who rushed him to the nearest hospital. After going through three major surgeries on his ankle, stomach, and brain today, he can walk to his work once again.
Ram recounts the horrors of that fateful night April 22 last year, near Rajdhani park. While returning from work a car hit him.
"I do not remember much. When I was conscious again I saw my brother and the rest of my family before me. I knew something serious had happened because they came all the way to meet me. Around seven to eight lakh rupees and several surgeries are what it took to make me better." A labourer by profession, Ram did not have to worry about the medical expenses. The Delhi government bore all of it. Such humane actions by humans is what makes a person a good samaritan.