Patna district administration still in the dark about other mishap-hit victims
SABYASACHI BANDOPADHYAY

PATNA, JULY 18: Even after 28 hours of the tragedy that befell the Alliance Air Boeing at Gardanibagh, two kms from Patna Airport, the city district magistrate Amit Khare had no idea that apart from the death of four people at the Government Quarters on which the ill-fated plane fell, another person died on the spot.

One of the burning wings of the plane hit Virendra Rai (28) from Arra district, who had a cow-shed there. Rai died on the spot alongwith six buffalos of his cow-shed. ``No one came to us with any succour or any help,'' Jitendra Rai, his brother, told this reporter. ``I had to beg from people for his cremation as I am a pauper now,'' a sobbing Jitendra said.

In fact, the district administration of Patna has made no assessment of the extent of damage the plane had done to the residents of the Government Quarters of Gardanibagh. ``I had no idea of the death,'' Amit Khare, district magistrate of Patna, who is supervising rescue operations, told this reporter. ``I will check and then think about what I can do for him (Jitendra Rai),'' Khare added.

Another person, who suffered extensive damage because of the crash, was Vijay Yadav from Arra district, who had a cow-shed at the house of the Duttas at House No 6. Vijay had lost six cows and two buffaloes because of the crash. ``I don't know how we will survive,'' Vijay told this reporter. ``All the Ministers and big people are taking care of the plane passengers but nobody is coming to us and checking what we have lost,'' the young man said.

In fact, the government has no plans for the rehabilitation of those in the neighbourhood who have lost something or the other due to the crash. While House No 6 and House No 8 were reduced to rubble, other houses and the cow-sheds were also damaged. ``The Ministers came to the crash-site and went back but nobody is concerned about us,'' fumed Vijay.

Today, one more body was found beside a ditch near the crash-site taking the toll of victims to 57. It was 51 from the passengers and six on the ground. ``So far as compensation for the victims on the ground as per government rules are concerned, one eligible person from each of the families will be provided with a job but nobody is getting any ex-gratia payment,'' Khare said.

``This is unfair,'' Amarendranath Mishra of House no 8, who received head-injuries and burns as the ceiling of the bathroom he was in yesterday caved on him, said. With blood-shot eyes and scars all over his body, Mishra said, ``All deaths and other injuries are tragic, but while the injured from the plane would be getting Rs 2 lakh, we will not be getting anything.''

Mishra is a section officer of the Industries Department of the Bihar Government. He, alongwith sons -- Prajesh (24) and Nikhilesh (17), had got themselves discharged from the Patna Medical College and Hospital and had got themselves admitted at the Captain D K Sinha's Nursing Home near the airport.

``It is so crowded there at that hospital,'' Mishra said. ``There is total chaos there and we had a tough time. That is why we got out of there,'' Mishra said. ``My neighbours told me that no one from the government cared to check what damage the crash had done to us,'' the 54-old government official said. But in any case Mishra said that they had received compensation from Bihar Governor B C Pandey.

``The Governor gave us Rs 15,000 each. There were some small helps from here and there too,'' he added. Incidentally, the administration had sent Poonam Dutta of House No 6 for better treatment to Delhi. ``We will bear all the expenses of their treatment at the nursing homes,'' Khare said.

Mishra's main complaint was that the authorities of the Indian Airlines had not done anything for them and it was paltry Rs 15,000 that each of them had received from the Governor and very little else. ``We have lost everything,'' his wife Shashibala, who had also received injuries said.

Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.