NEW DELHI: The state government on Tuesday approved ex-gratia assistance for the kin of victims who lost their lives in the Mundka fire incident and the restaurant fire mishap in Jamia Nagar this year.
Despite the best possible efforts from Delhi Fire Services and other supporting agencies, 27 people were killed when a massive blaze ripped through a four-storey commercial building in West Delhi’s Mundka on May 13, 2022. Two people had lost their lives in the mishap at a restaurant in Jamia Nagar.
At the time of visiting the accident site, CM Arvind Kejriwal had announced the ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh each to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured. Following this immediate relief, Rs 1 lakh was given to the next of kin of the 27 victims by the government. The rest of the amount was pending as the DNA profiling report was awaited from the Delhi Police.
In another such incident, two persons lost their lives after an air conditioner compressor exploded inside a restaurant in South East Delhi’s Jamia Nagar in April. Here too, the government has approved an
ex-gratia relief of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of the deceased, Rahul Basnet and Vijay Kumar.
Commenting on the same, Revenue Minister Kailash Gahlot said, “Even though the ex-gratia amount cannot compensate for the loss caused to the families, I hope that with this financial assistance from the Delhi Government, the family members will get some help in building their lives ahead.”
It has been almost three months and the Delhi labour department is yet to process the payment for the families, almost all of whom are living in resettlement colonies a few kilometres from Mundka. From filing police complaints to DNA tests, the families must establish their relationship with the dead. Each day’s trip to the government offices means a day’s labour is lost in addition to the cost of commuting.