Daryaganj building collapse: Dreams buried in rubble; migrant workers came from Bihar
Bihar
chasing survival but leave behind young children, newlyweds and families that now face an uncertain future without them.
Mohammad Tauqir had traveled from his village in Bihar's Madhepura district just a month ago, carrying the weight of his family's survival on his shoulders. At 30 years, he was the sole breadwinner for a household that depended on his daily wage of Rs 700. Before arriving in Delhi, his family members spoke of how he had scraped together whatever work he could find, odd jobs that barely sustained his wife and four young children.
His aunt, Maitoob Khatoon, her 50-year-old frame shaking with grief, could barely form the words through her tears. "We learned about this tragedy from the other workers," she mumbled. "He was working tirelessly to support his wife and children. The youngest one is just a year old. She can't even comprehend what has happened. Who will answer them now and who will provide for them?"
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Irshad, Tauqir's 18-year-old brother, said, "My brother supported all of us with whatever little he earned.
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From around just the Rs 100 he sometimes earned, he would still find a way to give me some money."
The second victim, 24-year-old Zubair from Bihar's Saharsa district, wasn't even supposed to be at the construction site that day. He had come to Delhi merely to visit Tauqir, his relative, and on impulse had decided to help with the work. "He got married a month ago in Bihar," recalled Irshad. "A newlywed with his whole life ahead of him, and now..."
Another family member spoke about Zubair's plans. "He was actually preparing for an examination that was 10-15 days away," the relative said. "Zubair was looking forward to a private job soon. Despite our difficult circumstances, he was determined to make a better path for his family."
Mohammad Turfan, a labourer who was at the site and narrowly escaped death, recalled how the third victim, Gulsagar, also in his 30s, died. "When the wall began to give way, Gulsagar was clinging to a safer spot," he said. "We watched as he made the decision to go down and try to save the other two. That's when he fell along with the concrete.
The structure was already so weakened that it couldn't bear his weight. It came crashing down and trapped him beneath."
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