For more than a hundred out of the 12,293 post-Godhra riots victims, getting the second part of compensation is proving quite a task, thanks to some missing links in the official records. Scores of victims can be seen running from pillar to post at the Ahmedabad Collectorate on any given day.

Shabnambanu Sabirbhai Rangrez, a victim, had got a cheque (no 421837 of Dena Bank) of Rs 10,000 as compensation, which she promptly deposited in her savings bank account in June 2002. The family lived in a rented house at Gheewali Chali in Behrampura at that time and later moved to New Shahalam Nagar near Chandola Lake.

Later this year, when an announcement was made that victims in her category would be paid another Rs 50,000, she approached the Collectorate both at Danilimda Chavdi and the main office.

Although the officials acknowledged her status as victim, they told her that her name did not figure in the second list even as she believed there might be some snag in transit due to changed address and the cheque did not reach her. A reality check in the City Mamlatdar office, that handles disbursals, revealed that there was no name as “Shabnambanu” in the list.

Clerks at the Mamlatdar office said this was not the only case and that over a hundred people visited them with the same complaint. Other complaints include corrections and replacing original victim by heirs due to death of the original victim among others. On an average, the collector’s office received around 150 applications, keeping the staff, crowded by fuming applicants, busy most part of the day. City Mamlatdar Mamta Sojitra, however, said, “There might be a delay in the payment, but all of them will get the compensation ordered.”

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