Surat: Kin of 3 Navsari fishermen killed in 26/11 attack to get Rs 5 lakh each

She added, “We were struggling with no source of income and were doing petty jobs. I took loan from relatives and villagers to construct a house, marry off my eldest daughter Jigisha and send my son Umesh to Gulf for work. I will use the amount for the marriage of my second daughter, Bhagyashri. I will visit the Collector’s office on Monday to get more details. I also have plans to start a small shop in the village.”

Earlier, on a Gujarat High Court order, the state government had given Rs 5 lakh to Jashiben Rameshbhai Bamaniya, widow of Rameshbhai Bamaniya, who was on Kuber trawler. The government would put the amount as fixed deposit in the savings bank account of the surviving family members of the three fishermen. It should be kept for a three-year lock in period and when the interest gets transferred to the savings bank account in every three months.

Other three crew members of Kuber boat — Natu Rathod, Balwant Tandel, and Mukesh Rathod, from Navsari district — were not compensated and the matter was under consideration.

Navsari District Collector’s Disaster Management Department deputy mamlatdar, Rajeetsinh Wadhel, said, “We have received the order of the state home department to give compensation to the family members of each of the three fishermen from Navsari who were killed onboard MV Kuber boat in 2008. We are waiting for the grant to be disbursed by the state government and once we get it, the procedures will be completed soon. We have got the documents, including bank accounts of family members of three crew members.”

Natu Rathod’s widow, Dharmishta, mother of two children — Nitin (15) and Ashmita (12), said, “If I get the amount, I will use some part of it to start a small business and will keep the remaining in the bank for the education of my children.”

Advocate Kanubhai Sukhadiya, who runs SEWA NGO in Navsari district, and has been fighting for the compensation amount for the family members of three crew members of Navsari for 11 years, said, “We welcome the state government order though it is too late. We will further pursue the case to take the compensation to Rs 10 lakh for each of the fishermen and a piece of land so that they can do farming.” For the past 11 years, Kanubhai and his NGO have been supplying grocery items to the family members of the three deceased fishermen.

After the Gujarat High Court’s order on the petition of Jashiben Bamaniya, the family members of three fishermen of Navsari district met Advocate Anand Yagnik and sought his help to fight their case. Yagnik said, “We have filed similar compensation petition with the Gujarat High Court for the surviving family members of three crew members of Navsari, last year. The hearing of petitions will start in the second or third week of January 2019.”