Where is our compensation, kin of Assam blast victims ask PM

As Assam mourned Friday to remember the victims of the horrific serial bombings Oct 30 last year, many families who lost their dear ones were upset at not receiving the compensation money announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"The loss of my son is irreparable and cannot be compensated. But it is equally unfortunate and sad to find the prime minister's announcement of Rs.200,000 each to the next of kin of all the deceased going for a big toss," a distraught Sunil Das told IANS.

Sunil Das lost his son Ajay in one of the explosions in the district headquarters of Kokrajhar Oct 30 last year.

Ajay was the sole breadwinner for his family - elderly father Sunil Das, mother Kalpana, a younger brother and sister.

"We don't know why people make promises and then fail to keep their word," a sobbing Sunil Das said as the family joined a public ceremony Friday to mark the first death anniversary of 20 blast victims killed in three separate explosions in Kokrajhar.

"My son was a vegetable vendor and he was the family's only source of income. For us the last one year has been literally hell with Ajay's image haunting us every single moment," Kalpana said with tears in her eyes.

They are amongst the many families who are yet to receive the Rs.200,000 compensation announced by the prime minister in Guwahati during his visit to the state after the blasts.

Nine near simultaneous explosions rocked the state Oct 30 last year in four districts - three in Guwahati, three in Kojrajhar, two in Barpeta, and one in Bongaigaon.

About 100 people were killed and 540 injured in the serial bombings.

"We ran from pillar to post and visited the deputy commissioner's office several times to find out about the prime minister's relief package of Rs.200,000. The response from the officials was always negative and probably nobody got any clue about the same," said Joydeb Mandal, who lost his mother in the Ganeshguri explosion in Guwahati.

Interestingly, the prime minister represents Assam in the Rajya Sabha and is a registered voter in the city - his rented accommodation, also his home address, is barely 500 metres from the Ganeshguri blast site.

All the victim's families, however, received Rs.300,000 each as compensation from the state government.

Last updated on Oct 30^th, 2009 at 14:07 pm IST--IANS