Karnataka - Gulbarga   

Victims’ families seek compensation

Offering solace: District in-charge Minister Lakshman S. Savadi talking to residents and relatives of victims at Bapu Naik tanda in Nandur village in Gulbarga taluk on Tuesday.

GULBARGA: Relatives of the victims of the gruesome accident near Nalwar in Chitapur taluk, which claimed lives of 12 people and injured more than 70 others on Monday, gave an angry reception to district in-charge Minister Lakshman S. Savadi when he visited Babu Naik Tanda in Nandur village to express grief on the behalf of the State Government.

Twelve persons were killed in a road accident at Nalwar village of Chitapur taluk in the district on Monday. The deceased were passengers in a lorry travelling from Nandur village to Yagapur Tanda in the taluk to attend a marriage of their relative. At Nalwar, the driver of the lorry, carrying about 60 persons, was said to have lost control leading to the accident. The lorry went off the road.

Soon after the Minister’s motorcade entered the tanda, the wailing relatives gathered around Mr. Savadi and Deputy Commissioner K.S. Satyamurthy demanding adequate compensation and medical assistance for the dead and the injured respectively. Mr. Savadi said there was no provision for payment of compensation to the families of the deceased in road accidents and the Cabinet would have to take a decision treating this incident as a special case .

Residents of the tanda and relatives of the victims threatened that they would not cremate the bodies, which were kept in a pandal, until the Government announces a compensation of Rs. 15 lakh each to families of the deceased and financial assistance of Rs. 10 lakh each to the injured.

Mr. Savadi said that he would plead the case in the Cabinet meeting with Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and try to get the maximum possible compensation. He also agreed to lead a delegation of the victims’ families to the Chief Minister and convince him to release adequate compensation and financial assistance.

Later, a group of young people surrounded the Minister’s car and demanded immediate announcement of compensation. Community leaders, however, intervened and helped the Mr. Savadi’s vehicle move out of the tanda.

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