By Nathan Duke
The family of a Floral Park woman killed in a 2009 gas explosion wore T-shirts depicting a photo of the mother of three on her wedding day as state Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Little Neck) unveiled a street sign in her honor last weekend.
Ghanwatti Boodram, 40, was killed April 24, 2009, after a gas explosion erupted in her home at 80-50 260th St. in Floral Park. Con Ed workers had been looking for the source of a leak in her neighborhood prior to the incident.
She worked as a nurse at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital while her husband, Dindial Boodram, is employed as a surgical technologist at Jamaica Hospital. The couple had three children together: Ryan, Kevin and Chris Boodram.
On Saturday, Weprin joined Boodram’s family for a solemn ceremony at which a section of 260th Street at 81st Avenue was renamed “Ghanwatti Boodram Way.”
“On April 24, 2009, her life was cut short,” her husband said, wiping tears from his eyes. “She is deeply missed today. It is significant to us that she did not die in vain. She was an immigrant who came here, went to school and became a registered nurse. She was helping save lives up until her death.”
Dindial Boodram said Saturday would have also marked their 13th wedding anniversary. The T-shirt he wore showed a picture of the couple on their wedding day, while the shirts worn by his sons depicted a portrait photo of their mother.
The street sign is several homes away from the Boodram’s residence.
The explosion occurred as Con Edison workers investigated gas odors on the block. Another home was destroyed in the blast.
A November 2009 report from the state Department of Public Service cited four violations of gas safety regulations on the utility’s part. In July, the state Public Service Commission ordered Con Ed to establish a $1 million reserve account to benefit ratepayers in a manner to be determined at a later date as a result of the blast.
But Weprin criticized the PSC for not being tougher on the utility. He said the agency should have added a training component for Con Ed in its final report on the blast to ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future.
The assemblyman cited numerous Con Ed-related incidents from the past five years, including feeder cable failures that resulted in a 10-day western Queens blackout in July 2006, a steam pipe eruption on Lexington Avenue in 2007 and a manhole gas leak in Sunnyside that killed one person.
“One gets the feeling that the next disaster may be waiting to happen,” Weprin said. “As we gather here today in Mrs. Boodram’s memory, let us urge the PSC staff and commission to remain vigilant in its oversight and further urge Con Ed to remain just as vigilant in examining and re-examining its practices.”
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at nduke@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
