Terming the twin blasts that rocked the state capital Thursday, leaving several dead and injured, as an act of cowardice to disturb communal harmony in the city, chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy said the state government, with the help of the Centre, will bring the culprits to the book.
Speaking to mediapersons at his camp office, here on Thursday night, after visiting the blast site, the chief minister said 11 people died in the two blasts and 84 injured, of whom the condition of five to six persons was serious.
“The government will bear all the medical expenditure of the injured. The health department has been directed to ensure the best medical treatment to the injured, and shift them if necessary to better hospitals. Health secretaries are personally monitoring the situation in hospitals,” he said.
Conveying his condolences to the bereaved families, the chief minister announced an ex gratia of Rs 6 lakh for the deceased and Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh to the injured, depending on the severity of the injury. “The government will be liberal in ensuring best medical care to the injured,” he said.
Kiran Reddy said prime minister Manmohan Sing, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Union home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad spoke to him over telephone and extended necessary help from the Centre. “They asked us to be on high alert and ensure that similar incidents do not recur. The state government has already formed special teams to investigate the blasts and teams from National Investigation Agency (NIA) and National Security Guard (NSG) had left for Hyderabad. Bomb experts from Delhi will determine the nature of the explosives used,” he said.
Calling upon people to maintain calm and restraint, the chief minister appealed to the people living in the vicinity of the blast sites and others not to venture near the blast area so that the scene will not be disturbed and hinder investigation. He also appealed to the mediapersons to maintain restraint and cooperate with investigating authorities.
When asked about the alert issued by the Union home ministry following the hanging of Afzal Guru, the chief minster said Andhra Pradesh received a general alert like all other states. “Such alerts are made form time to time and the police department takes necessary measures. Today’s bomb-blast was unexpected and unfortunate,” he said.
CM visits injured
Kiran Reddy visited Care Hospital at Nampally late Thursday night and enquired about the health condition of those injured in the blasts.
He consoled family members of the injured and assured all help from the government. PCC chief Botcha Satyanarayana, ministers Pithani Satyanarayana, Kondru Murali, Geetha Reddy, Sabita Indra Reddy, chief secretary Minnie Mathew and other officials accompanied the chief minister.