Ten years ago,the nation mourned the death of Major Navneet Vats who lost his life fighting terrorists in Srinagar on November 20. A decade later,the plight of his family can make anyone feel ashamed. Neeraj Vats,father of the martyr,who had been looking after his ailing wife Veena and 28-year-old mentally challenged son Nimesh died on July 27 after battling weekly dialysis and old age. After the Newsline report about the family on September 17,help came from different quarters for the mother and brother of the martyr. Santosh Chowdhary,Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare,among others,offered to extend all possible help to the family. Army assured that it was exploring different options to provide relief to the family. However,all claims have fallen flat . Anshu Arora,a friend of Late Major Navneet Vats,has been spearheading an effort to get assistance from the Army. A senior ranking army officer of Western Command visited the family and discussed the options with the mother of the late Major. When contacted the same officer said that they are trying their best to pursue the case but there are policy issues and procedural aspects that need to be sorted. Under treatment at a hospital in Mohali,Veena Vats now fails to even remember when her son died. Admitted to the hospital on November 6 after a severe depression attack she just thinks of Nimish. After I came here Nimish was sent to Aashreya (a home for mentally challenged persons). I want to recover soon and go back home. There is no one to take care of him, said Veena. Talking to the Newsline Anshu Arora said,I met chief-of-army General Bikram Singh last month at a function. Different options were discussed which included shifting them to Varanasi (Central office of the regiment),down south or placing a jawans family with them. Good medical care along with provision of regular medical check-ups for both was also discussed. But nothing was done. Arora added ,I was hopeful initially. But later when I contacted the Army officer who was looking after the case,I was told that they get good pension ,so they are not dependent and hence not eligible for any help. Charanjeet Singh,a former colleague and friend of the Major who now takes care of the family said,She gets a pension of Rs 20,000 per month. It is not easy to live a comfortable life with that amount. She has to take care of Nimish. Her own medical bills add to the expenses. According to Singh,Vats family sold off their Panchkula house after Navneets death and bought a much smaller house in Chandigarh so that they could save some money. She is admitted to the hospital and the medical bill will cross Rs 2 lakh. All her savings will be used. She is worried if all the money is spend on her what will be left for Nimish, said Charanjeet Singh.
