Her bravery can make us say: Beti Padhao, Beti Bachaati (Educate girl child, she will save you)!
By Nikhat Fatima. Siyasat.net
Uzma Fatima, the 26 year old assistant engineer in the Srisailam Power Station, was engulfed in the fire that broke out while she was trying to save her colleagues recently .
She had already saved four of them and went in to rescue some other but before she could save them, the roaring flames swallowed them up and 9 of them including Uzma were burnt.
Her heroic act was caught on the cc cameras in the plant and showed Uzma emerging out of the fire but going back to save the others.
Uzma Fatima, originally from Hyderabad was employed in the Srisailam power station and was living there. But on 21st of August, Friday 9 employees in the underground power plant died when the fire broke out due to a short-circuit the previous night while 15 of them managed to escape.
Many believe that this was a purely negligent act and the congress party leaders want a CBI enquiry in the accident because it has come to light that some of the employees had informed the government about the glitches at the hydel unit expressing their fear that an accident could occur any time. The higher authorities who failed to take action at the right time are responsible for the fire accident and for the deaths of 9 employees.
Although the Chief Minister of Telangana Mr. K ChandraShekar Rao has announced ex-gratia of Rs.25 lakhs, he failed to visit the families of the deceased and did not go to the site of the accident either. Leaders from the congress party and AMIM party visited Uzma house and offered condolences.
The Home minister of state Mr Mehmood Ali is also said to have visited the family as they live in the same locality where his house is.
Uzma’s house in Hyderabad is located in Azampura where she lived with her parents and siblings.
Her father Mohammed Zubair runs a footwear business in chappal bazar. Uzma had 2 sisters and a brother. While her elder sister is married, her younger sister is still in school and her brother pursuing degree. She was the 2nd child to her parents. The family is deeply shocked over the tragic death of their promising daughter.
The ex-gratia amount promised to her family does not do justice to her selfless act of rescuing the lives of others without caring about her own life. Many people feel that such bravery is not commonplace and that too from a young girl. And therefore they feel that a fitting tribute would be not the monetary one but naming a road after her or instituting gallantry award in her name to encourage young girls and women who exhibit extraordinary bravery.
India has had a history of brave women, queens, warriors, freedom fighters and leaders and Uzma’s name should be one among them. We have a slogan that talks about saving the girl child but in this instance it has been the girl child who has saved others.
Girls and women can take up cudgels when the situation demands; they can risk their lives and fight for rightful causes. Instead of stereotyping them, the society should encourage the girls to live their lives with confidence and courage without ever underestimating them.
Uzma Fatima’s bravery must have been a result of her supreme confidence in herself and her courage. She was laid to rest to a graveyard at Fateh Darwaza.
(www.siyasat.net is Ahmedabad,Gujarat,India based Website)
