A former Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice (retd) KC Puri, who was appointed as Claims Commissioner to assess the damage caused to private and public property during Jat quota agitation in February, has assumed his charge on Friday.
After assuming his charge, Justice Puri said that he would soon visit Rohtak, Sonipat, Jhajjar and other affected areas of the state to take stock of damage caused during the agitation.
He said that applications would be invited for claims from those who had suffered loss during the agitation.
As per claims of applicants, he would visit the spots to assess the loss and those who had caused the damage would be held responsible for the same, said he.
Justice Puri has been appointed to assess large-scale damage caused to public and private property by anti-social elements and explore the possibility of recovering the damages from them in Haryana. He would also assess the total loss during the violent Jat agitation and decide the claims of innocent persons whose properties were damaged.
Haryana Government has so far released compensation of more than Rs 70.99 crore including interim and final payments, to those persons whose properties were damaged in Jat agitation.
The private and government insurance companies have so far made payments amounting to about Rs 34,74,18,375 to the persons whose insured properties were damaged. The Government had received 2,030 claims of which 1,933 have been settled in full. 97 claims are pending of which 17 claims are for more than Rs one crore and the remaining 80 are for amounts less than Rs one crore, according to a government spokesperson.
Haryana had witnessed large scale violence with rampaging mobs looting and setting shops on fire, burning government and private buildings and vehicles and clashing with security forces during the Jat stir in February.