MUMBAI: While the city continues to condemn the terror attack on the CRPF jawans in Pulwama Kashmir, Mumbaikars have opened their hearts, purses for the families of the slain soldiers.Within minutes, dealers, shopkeepers, daily wage workers and labourers from Grant road managed to collect Rs 17.5 Lakh for the grieving families. The scooter spare parts association in Grant road east had organised an event to pay homage to the soldiers martyred in the attack and during the event one of the organiser announced a donation for the families of the two soldiers from Maharashtra "In a matter of 10 minutes we had collected Rs 17.5 Lakh. There is a Bhelpuri vendor in our vicinity he had pledged Rs 1100, his days earnings and similarly three loaders too have pledged their daily earnings ," said Deven Dani , president of the association.He said that the association had even previously collected Rs 1.5 lakh which was given to the families of the four soldiers who were martyred in the Uri attacks."I saw some photos of the soldiers and felt very sad for them and also for their families. Some of them were so young almost the same age of my son, I have contributed whatever I could," said Joginder Yadav a hand cart puller."When we went to meet the families of those soldiers we were moved to see that they didn't event have a fan in their house. They struggle for even the most basic things," said Dani.Another person who was passing by the area and stopped to pay homage said that when these loaders and daily wage workers contributed many people others were motivated to step forward. "Many shops were shut to pay homage to the soldiers, but we did not shut our shops, Infact we decided to give our days earnings to families," said another dealer who attended the event.Of the soldiers who have been killed in the attack, two are from Maharashtra, both from Buldhana district in Maharashtra.Nitin Rathod hails from Lonar taluka and Sanjay Rajput hails from Malkapur taluka.

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