 Balwant Singh, 70, who lost @@his family members in the blast, breaks down while recounting the trauma. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma |
The pain of the victims of a mysterious blast in the Jogi Nagar locality of the city about nine months back, lingers on as many assurances made to them have failed to materialize.
Seventy-year-old Balwant Singh, who lost his wife, son and two grand-daughters in the blast, bursts into tears recalling that ill-fated evening of August 7 last year.
"I was having lunch, when a blast took place in my house and I lost everything. After the bodies were pulled out of the debris, I was informed that four of my family members had been killed. Meanwhile, two more girls, that of our tenants and neighbours, also died in the incident," recalls Balwant Singh, who partially lost his hearing in the blast.
Though he is full of gratitude towards CM Parkash Singh Badal for visiting him three days after the mishap and handing over cheques worth Rs five lakh (one lakh for each death and one lakh for the reconstruction of house), his grandson Mani has a strong complaint against officials.
"The CM had announced free education and books for me. As the promise was not kept, one of my school teachers kept paying my fee in class IX. Now at the time of admission to Class X, when we asked the officials, they said they did not have any written order to help me," he rued.
"Now my mother, who is the sole breadwinner, pays my fee from the meagre salary she gets after working in a pharmaceutical factory," said an anguished Mani. "My mother was assured of widow pension but nothing has been done."
Meanwhile, another blast victim, an embroider, Nafees Ahmad, a tenant in Balwant Singh's house when the trgedy took place, also accuses the government of ditching him.
"In the blast, my two-year old daughter was killed and my wife sustained severe head injuries. The CM, while handing over cheques worth Rs 1.25 lakh to me, had assured that the medical expenses incurred on the treatment of my wife would be borne by the state government. But I was refused reimbursement of the medical bills of her three major surgeries,” said Nafees.
The victims had another complaint-- that hardly anyone from the administration ever visited them after the mishap.
The blast had ripped off the house completely and damaged other buildings. Probe agencies could not pinpoint the exact reason for it.
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