The Western Railway (WR) on Thursday reacted to criticism regarding the inefficient disbursal of railway ex-gratia to survivors and families of victims of the 7/11 serial blasts, at a press meet here.

Clarifying their stand, Chief Public Relation Officer (CPRO) of WR Pranay Prabhakar said the Railways has paid above Rs 12 crore, Rs 12,33,20,000 to be precise, to 1,042 persons. They included the gravely injured, family of the dead and those who suffered injuries in the train blasts.

“We have addressed the issue of ex-gratia, employment to relatives of deceased, and medical expenses to the injured, effectively. The railways has not received complaints from any family members of victims so far,” added Prabhakar.

According to Prabhakar, of the 1,042 people affected by the blasts, compensation was decided under the following break-up: 186 relatives of the dead, 544 people who suffered serious injuries and 312 persons who suffered minor injuries. The remaining 15 injured did not turn up for compensation, he stated.

“The cheques that belong to the 15 people who did not approach the Railways are still with us. Despite repeated advertisements in newspapers, they have not approached us,” said Prabhakar.

He said though the WR had initially considered giving employment only to relatives of the deceased, in February this year, they decided to employ people who were 70 per cent or more incapacitated after 7/11. The persons were considered for D-grade jobs in the railways, he stated.

The WR received 135 job applications, which included 17 applications from relatives of victims who belonged to the Railways. Of them, 55 people have reported to work and 96 others have been considered for jobs.

... contd.