Two years after five persons died and three others sustained injuries in a fire cracker blast at Kujang, the State SC and ST Welfare Board compensated the deceased and injured victims’ kin on Thursday.
There was a lot of hue and cry over the neglect to the family members of the diseased and the injured in the blast incident by several dalit organisations and political parties .
Responding to the matter, the State SC and ST Welfare Board sanctioned Rs 3.75 lakh to family members of each deceased and Rs 1 lakh each to the injured victims.
The district administration had asked the families of both the deceased and injured to submit necessary documents for receiving the compensation from district welfare officer.
The family members of the deceased Pituna Patra, Phakira Patra from Kothiasahi village and Bijan Jena from Ghodamara village and injured Sukanta Gochayat from Kothiasahi village, Kelu Jena and Jitu Patra from Ghodamara village received the ex-gratia.
However, the relatives of two deceased Kailash Jena from Chikinia village and Pramod Jena from Garadapur village were denied compensation as they did not submit documents in time.
They would be compensated later once they fulfill the administration formalities,informed district welfare officer Sarat Kumar Sahoo.
Notably, on November 16, 2011, crackers exploded in a procession of Biju Patnaik Workers’ Union which was being organised by the BJD legislator of Cuttack- Barabati Devasish Samantray and Jagatsinghpur MlA Bishnu Das. The BJD leaders were going in the procession to attend the trade union’s meeting at Paradip when the crackers went off in a mini truck at Kujang Bazar.
The victims were aboard the truck. Compensation for the families of deceased and injured had time and again been sought by a few Dalit organizations and leaders from several political parties, including the State ruling BJD. Though police had registered cases against MlA Devashis Samantray and other BJD leaders under various Sections of the IPC and Indian Explosive Act, but none was arrested .