3 months on,panel yet to figure out loss,culprits

The Mirchpur arson caused a loss of more than Rs 33 crore,to people,who failed to use the road and rail network,across the Haryana,due to agitations that lasted for days. Based on a Supreme Court directive,a commission was constituted about three months ago to award compensation to people who incurred losses due to the agitation. However,the commission is yet to start functioning.

After managing to get a room allotted in the old Public Works Department building in Sector 19 of Chandigarh,the commission,headed by chairman,RC Bansal,a retired District and Sessions Judge,is struggling to take off. The commission recently started the process of recruiting staff members and held the interviews for the contractual staff.

The commission was given six months to identify people who incurred losses and evaluating their claims for awarding compensation. It is also supposed to be identify those responsible for causing the inconvenience to people. But nothing has been achieved so far by the commission.

While talking to the Indian Express,Bansal said,“I am in the process of streamlining things. Once the staff and other parameters are completed,then only we can start full-fledged functioning. To start with we shall be identifying people who are responsible for such losses. Later,the ambit of the commission may be expanded”.

Incidentally,nothing substantial has been done to create publicity and awareness among people to approach the commission with their claims.

The road and rail traffic in Haryana was badly disrupted for 12 days,when sympathisers of those booked by Haryana police for the Mirchpur arson,blocked roads and trains to protest against the police action against members of the dominant Jat community.

The Supreme Court,too,recently came down heavily on the state governments for allowing the frequent “rail roko” and “rasta roko” protests which cause hardship to the common man. While hearing a petition filed by Jaswant Singh,an eyewitness in the Mirchpur case,a bench comprising Justice GS Singhvi and Justice SK Mukhopadhaya,observed that in many parts of the country,such agitations keep going on for months,making the life of a common man,miserable.

The petitioner had sought action against people who indulged in the attack on the Dalit locality in the Mirchpur village,in which a 70-year-old man and his physically challenged daughter,were burnt to death allegedly the Jats.

Counsel for the petitioner,Colin Gonsalves,had apprised the court that the total loss suffered due to the agitation was Rs 33 crore and the state government was yet to identify the people responsible for it.

Responding to it,Bansal,said,“The contentions shall be verified,once we start functioning properly. The railways are claiming majority of losses,but they also have their own tribunals,redressal forums,which can take care of such losses. We shall be able to say something,once assess the entire situation”.