Polls over,results out but landmine blast victim’s wife yet to get compensation

The block office at Belpahari has,however,given Pabitra a job under the NREGA and she has been working for the last 12 days.

Pabitra’s uncle Siddhartha Das told The Indian Express over telephone from Silda,Jhargram,that they did not receive any letter from the ECI or the state government about the compensation. Instead,Pabitra was offered a job in the Belpahari block office under the NREGA scheme and she started working immediately. According to Das,Pabitra would get Rs 81 daily for 100 days work in a year. Apart from this,the BDO of Belphahari has also asked Pabitra to submit the bill for books bought for her two children,Monalisa and Manoj.

When contacted Belpahari Block Divisional Officer Bhaskar Pal confirmed that Pabitra Das is working under the NREGA.

Das said after Sanjay’s death,officials from the Belpahari block had visited their residence at Silda and had assured them that they would get the compensation. As Sanjay was the only earning member of the family,Pabitra has been going through a lot of difficulty,he added.

West Midnapore District Magistrate N S Nigam,meanwhile,handed over a cheque for Rs10 lakh to the family of Prasad Banerjee on Monday.

Before the Lok Sabha elections,the ECI had announced that the kin of any official or person would get a compensation of Rs10 lakh if he or she was killed in an attack by extremists during the elections.

When contacted on Tuesday,Nigam said the family of Sougata Karmakar would be soon given compensation.

Nigam said Sanjay Das’s family would also get the compensation after completion of the legal formalities which is underway. The amount would be handed over as early as possible,he added.