Punjab Cabinet Committee for relief to terrorist victims

Chandigarh, May 29 (UNI) The Punjab Cabinet Committee for Implementation of Rehabilitation Grant to the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, has decided to seek central assistance for families of terrorist violence.

This decision was taken today in a meeting of the Committee which was presided over by Deputy Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal.

It was decided in the meeting that the Committee would send its recommendations to the state Cabinet on the subject of providing central assistance to victims of terrorism in Punjab. This would enable the state government to forward its recommendations based on the Committee's views to the Union government for sanctioning central relief for the terrorist victims.

While taking this decision the Committee observed that cases of both terrorist violence as well as those of 1984 riot victims were of similar nature.

The Committee has till May 15 received 4418 fresh applications from families of victims of the 1984 riots for compensation claims, Mrs Bhattal informed the meeting. She said that the state government was committed to giving rehabilitation grant to all the genuine victims of the 1984 riots.

She said that some claimants had red cards but the particulars of these card do not tally with the office records.In such cases directions had already been issued to the concerened district administrations to conduct independent verification and send report before May 31 so that claims should be given to right persons.

She further clarified that in case the red card was lost or misplaced, a duplicate card would be issued to the riot victim immediately after verifying the record.

She said that pending cases of riot victims would be cleared at the earliest and the government was bound to redress the problems of the affected families.

UNI HS MSJ ND1838