Cabbies up popularity meter

On Tuesday, the cabbies of Mumbai rose to the occasion after seven serial blasts rocked the city. They pooled in the victims, kept their cool and braved the traffic and rain and made their way to the nearest hospitals. And, they did not put down their meter. This, they said, was the least contribution they could make to alleviate the tragedy that rocked Mumbai.

“It would be criminal to ask money from the victims. At such times, humanity precedes business,” said Ashok Kamble. For most old cabbies, it was the ghost of the 1993 blasts haunting them.

“In 1993, I ferried about 10 victims to the GT Hospital. I was near the Air India building. These blasts remind me of that horrific day in 1993,” said Abdul Qadir, who rushed five victims to the Sion Hospital from Mahim station. Passers-by, shop keepers and the general public also rushed victims to hospitals.

“Innocent people are killed. It’s unfair. Nobody will gain by this bloodshed,” said an emotionally charged Santosh Jadhav who spent his day’s earnings of Rs200 to buy water and snacks for the relatives of the injured and the dead.