'He was honest and friendly'

PUNE: Hari Vasudeo Dhamdhere, who was found murdered at his bungalow, had served as the secretary of the state public works department and had played a major role in the construction of the Koyna dam.
His contribution to the construction of the dam was recognised by the government, Dhamdhere's nephew Jaideep Dhamdhere told TOI. "My uncle's picture is displayed at the dam along with the other contributors."
Jaideep said that his uncle's family had a narrow escape during the earthquake at Koyna in 1967.A portion of the dam was damaged in the earthquake. My uncle played a key role in the reconstruction of the dam and in digging the Koyna tunnel. "He was known as a non-corrupt PWD officer," he added.
According to Jaideep, "Dhamdhere had started as a civil engineer and had held the post of the director of the Water and Land Management Institute in Aurangabad and the Maharashtra Engineering Research Institute. He had also worked as a consultant for the World Bank. After his retirement, he was living a happy and peaceful life with his family." "The entire family is still in a state of shock. It is hard to believe that the sociable and friendly person like my uncle was brutally murdered. He had a very pleasant personality and was ready to help everyone. He had not enmity with anyone" Jaideep said.
Jaideep said that his uncle's wife Sumitra is a house wife and son Rajiv is an engineer. Rajiv runs a factory at Shindewadi in Khed. Rajiv's wife Savita is looking after their LPG agency business. "Rajiv's married daughter staying is the US. His son is also pursuing his MS in the US."
"My uncle's daughter Lalita Bal is staying with her family on Prabhat road. He also has two younger brothers -- one is retired brigadier Dattatreya Dhamdhere, who was a dermatologist in the Indian army. The other brother, Dinkar Dhamdhere, is also a medical practitioner," Jaideep said.
Dhamdhere's younger brother brigadier (retired) Dattatraya Dhamdhere, who was present at the hospital for collecting the body after the post-mortem, broke into tears and described his elder brother as an honest person who believed in God and all rituals. "As an elder brother, Hari had fulfilled all family and religious commitments," he added.
The post-mortem report has certified the cause of death of Dhamdhere's as "injuries on neck".
Vilas Palashikar, a family friend of Dhamdheres, said that Dhamdhere was well known as a non-corrupt government officer. "He was social and helpful by nature," Palashikar added.
Dhamdhere's last rites were performed on Friday afternoon. "Dhamdhere was an active member of the Mitra Mandal colony senior citizens club," said Vinayak Agashe, president of the club. "Members of the club used to meet on every Wednesday. He was very much concerned about the security of senior citizens," Agashe added.