Blueline victims meet NHRC chief over compensation issue

New Delhi, Jan 30 (UNI) A delegation of Blueline victims met NHRC Chairperson Justice S Rajendra Babu today, seeking an end to the ''discriminatory attitude'' of the Delhi government in giving compensation to families of those ''killed by state-licensed buses''.

''People dying in unauthorised jhuggi fires are paid ex-gratia amounts immediately for an incident in which there was no government involvement but the case of a state-licensed bus repeatedly killing people was not found deserving of any compensation,'' the delegation told Justice Rajendra Babu.

The de1egation, led by People's Action, submitted a petition to the NHRC chief on the plight of the Blueline victims who have been left in the lurch by the Government even after repeated attempts to seek compensation and assistance for their families.

''When eight people died in Badarpur due to a Blueline bus, they were awarded compensation of Rs one lakh immediately, but the others who died earlier or after that incident due to the same Blueline buses were not given any compensation,'' People's Action president Sanjay Kaul said.

Mr Kaul told the Commission that the petition was distinct from its earlier one as it was concerned with the discrimination in compensation awarded to Blueline victims and the issue of culpability of the Delhi government in the deaths.

Justice Rajendra Babu met five victims and assured that appropriate action would be taken on the petition.

''This is our last hope,'' said a victim, Satish Kapoor.

More than 40 members of victims' families and other members of People's Action protested the ''apathy'' of the Delhi government and held placards and banners denouncing Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit and Transport Minister Haroon Yousuf for their ''insensitivity'' on the issue.

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