Families of 23 Bholath victims await ex gratia: Khaira
Sunday, 26/07/2015
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JALANDHAR: After Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Friday announced Rs 1 lakh ex-gratia for the victims of road accident near Manikaran, Congress spokesperson Sukhpal Khaira today said families of 23 dalit victims from Fatehpur and Bajaj village of Bholath had not got the relief even two years after a similar mishap.
Congress spokesperson Sukhpal Singh Khaira addressing the media in Jalandhar on Saturday.
In an open letter to the CM, Khaira has questioned Badal, saying “What is the guarantee that you will honour the commitment of Rs 1 lakh ex-gratia grant made to the families of those killed in the Manikaran bus accident, if you have not honoured your commitment to pay ex-gratia grant to the poor Dalits killed two years back? In order to reap political dividends over the death of poor people in a similar road accident at Manikaran, you have once again today made an announcement of Rs 1 lakh ex-gratia grant to the families of those killed.”
Khaira released copies of the letter to the media as he came alongwith the family of Jagir Singh of Fatehpur village, who had lost 14 members in the accident that occurred on October 9, 2013 at Manguwal barrier near Hoshiarpur. An open truck in which the family was returning from Chintpurni had fallen into a khud. Ex-serviceman Jagir Singh said that he had now been single-handedly taking care of his crippled granddaughter Jashanpreet. Jagir Singh had lost his wife, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, besides other relatives. He said that former minister and Bholath MLA Bibi Jagir Kaur too had failed to ensure any monetary help for him despite such a big tragedy.
Khaira hit out at the CM, saying he had been doling out exgratia only when it suited him politically. “You have been showering crores and lakhs of rupees as ex-gratia grants selectively at the cost of public exchequer. To quote a few examples, Rs 1 crore and a class I job has been given to the family of Sarabjit Singh killed in a Pakistan jail. Similarly, your government paid Rs 29 lakh and Rs 22.5 lakh as ex-gratia compensation to the families of those killed by your Orbit Transport Company, at Moga and Ropar recently.”
