Mumbai:
Unable to make it to the hospital on time due to a massive traffic jam, a 30-year-old woman in labour gave birth to baby boy in an auto rickshaw at 10.30 am yesterday. Incidentally, the family resides just five minutes from the hospital but were unable to make it, as they were stranded in the auto rickshaw for 30 minutes due to gridlocked traffic.
After the baby decided to greet the world from the most unusual of places, the proud parents proceeded to another private hospital in the vicinity on foot, and got the newly born admitted. The mother and son are both doing fine, said doctors.
Seema Shaikh and her husband Akbar left their tenement in Shiv Garjana Chawl, situated in Asalfa Village, Ghatkopar (W) at 10 am. Their destination was the Sant Muktabai hospital located in Bhatwadi, Barve Nagar, which is barely five minutes from their residence.
As they made their way in the auto, they got stuck in a traffic jam at Nari Seva Sadan Road, near the Sant Tukaram Bridge. Vehicular traffic came to a standstill and Seema went into labour. With the pain intensifying, she was unable to move and plans to walk to the hospital were struck down. Realising they weren't going to make it to the hospital and no other option left she delivered in the auto.
"It all happened so quick and I can not explain the mental agony we went through. Due to the heavy traffic jam, my wife delivered a baby boy in auto rickshaw," said the father Akbar, who is a driver by profession.
The auto driver who was dumbstruck with the events unfolding in the back seat of his vehicle blamed the cause of the traffic jam on illegally parked vehicles and hawkers that occupy most of the road. "The hospital is only five minutes away from where I picked them, but we were stranded for over 20 minutes, failing to reach the hospital on time. Finally, Seema delivered a baby boy in my auto rickshaw," said Manoj Rathod, the auto driver.
Residentspeak"We endure heavy traffic jams daily due to the illegal hawkers and the parked vehicles that hinder traffic movement," said Avinash Joshi, a local resident.
Meanwhile, Vijay Phansalkar, joint commissioner of police (traffic), said he was busy and refused to comment further.