Ahooja Committee Report
R E L I E F I N C A S E S N O W V E R I F I E D
The total number of persons who died in the November, 1984 riots has now been determined as 2733. In 2401 cases Relief Commissioner has already given the monetary compensation to the next of kin. However, in 154 cases next of kin have received only Rs.10,000/-. It appears that the next of kin have not appeared to claim the additional amount of Rs.10,000/- despite repeated notices issued by the office of the Relief Commissioner. They can do so now at any time as it has been confirmed by the Relief Commissioner that cheque are ready.
In addition to these cases it has now been concluded that there are an additional 345 cases eligible to receive assistance. I, therefore, recommend that the same compensation and facilities should be extended to the next of kin in these 345 cases, which has been given to others by the Relief Commissioner.
Cases have come before this Committee wherein the widow did not come forward for the second installment of Rs.10,000/- which was not announced later. It was pleaded before the Committee by some applicants that the widow had in the intervening period re-married and she was therefore neither interested nor entitled to receive the remaining amount. The money was now being claimed either by the parents of the deceased or by the older brother or sister. There were also a few cases in which the amount had not been claimed by the widow at all. The Relief Commissioner’s Office had rejected the claims of the parents on the ground that it was only the widow who was entitled to the relief. In the view of this Committee, the difficulties of the parents and in some cases those of other surviving members of the family have also to be alleviated because they were also dependent, at least in some measure, on the earnings of the deceased. The Committee, therefore, recommends that the Relief Commissioner should make payments to the surviving parents where the widow has not come forward to claim either in whole or in part, the amount of ex-gratia payment upto 1st June, 1987.
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