'1984 riot's victims yet to be paid'

Ranchi, Dec 2: National Commission for Minority member Harcharan Singh Josh today said the 1984 anti-Sikh riots victims, across the country, were still suffering following 'lackadaisical attitude' of concerned state governments in giving them compensation.

Talking to mediapersons here, Mr Josh said the Centre had released about Rs 735 crores as economic package in the beginning of 2005 as the riot's victims but a large chuck was still lying with several state governments.

Mr Josh said the conditions of victims in several places were miserable.

''In New Delhi the government is yet to distribute the money in about 3000 cases and in Uttar Pradesh only 2234 cases had been disposed off against 4326,'' Mr Josh said adding that more than 3000 people lost their lives in the national capital only.

Refering to Jharkhand, Mr Josh said about Rs 18 crores were released to the state government but only half of the sum had been distributed as compensation against 655 cases so far.

''Still 610 cases were pending,'' he informed.

Altogether 11 districts in Jharkhand, including Koderma, Bokaro, Ranchi, Hazaribagh, and Jamshedpur, were affected in the riots.

On Jammu and Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh, Mr Josh said,''The condition was more or less same there.''

UNI