5 foreigners ignore 26/11 compensation

He returned home to find that he was not covered by a compensation scheme set up for terror victims after the July 2005 bombings in London,triggering allegations of moral failure against his home country as the fund covers only those who are hit by terror on British soil,irrespective of nationality.

But Maharashtra Government officials said there was no discrimination in its relief schemes and the state machinery had been efficient in distributing compensation to all victims from within the state,elsewhere in India and foreigners. They said families of 26 foreigners who were killed in the attacks out of a total of 166 deaths,had all accepted the ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each.

There were 22 foreigners,including Pike,among the 240 injured and they were all offered relief of Rs 50,000. However,two Germans who were admitted to Breach Candy Hospital refused the compensation while three other cheques given to foreign nationals have not been encashed. Pike was among eight Britons who were injured in the attacks. Now a paraplegic,he has said that he is left to cope with just 15,000 pounds in help from a British government-backed Red Cross fund.

“It is not a small amount even for foreigners,” said M Rameshkumar,Maharashtra’s Additional Principal Secretary for Relief and Rehabilitation,referring to the ex-gratia given to the families of those killed. “Initially,some of them had not come forward to take the amount,but almost all foreign nationals have taken it now.”

Another official said the cheques had been issued through the Mumbai Collector’s office and foreign consulates were helping families of victims with paper work such as defining legal heirs and other formalities. Maharashtra has so far distributed Rs 14.07 crore in all as ex-gratia to families of the deceased and those injured,he said.