The Raigad police have appreciated the efforts of a woman constable attached to their headquarters who, on the day of the cyclone, helped a pregnant woman from Vashi village.
Arti Mandar Raut was posted at Shrivardhan for special duty on Wednesday when Cyclone Nisarga hit. Ms. Raut, a resident of Alibaug, was being driven to duty by her husband. When they got to know that the main roads to Shrivardhan were blocked due to tree felling, her husband, Mandar Raut, took a different route via Vashi village in Tala taluka.
On the way, they spotted a few women asking for lift. However, since Ms. Raut had to report to duty, they initially drove ahead.
Later, the constable realised it was her duty to help the distressed, and the husband-wife duo returned and offered help. “A woman had gone into labour and there was no help for her to reach the hospital in Mhasla. The other women said their houses were in bad shape. The rooftops had been blown away and being inside might not be safe for her. The boats were not functional and neither were roads clear so we decided to help them,” Ms. Raut said.
She said the pregnant woman and two others got into the car while her husband came on his bike. While the woman’s husband took a shorter route to hospital, which involved carrying the bike over several fallen trees, Ms. Raut took a longer route where there were comparatively less blockades.
“The bike could be lifted and carried over the fallen trees, hence, her husband decided to take the regular route and reach the hospital first to make the arrangements.
The route we chose too had many electrical poles and trees fallen on the road and wherever required, we manually moved them aside,” Ms. Raut said.
The two women who accompanied her helped clear the way and they reached the hospital within two hours.
“I was in hurry to report to duty so after making sure the pregnant woman was with her husband, we left. Later we got to know that she had delivered safely,” Ms. Raut said.
Anil Paraskar, Superintendent of Police, Raigad, said, “The department is proud of Ms. Raut. We have asked her to report to the headquarters on Monday as she is currently posted at Shrivardhan for cyclone duty. On Monday, we will award her a cash prize and certificate.”
