Eyeing next year's civic polls, Sena corporator writes to BMC commissioner asking him to compensate victims of last week's blasts
Eyeing next year's civic polls, Sena corporator writes to BMC commissioner asking him to compensate victims of last week's blasts
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The serial blasts that shook Mumbai on Wednesday seem to have woken up local politicians, who are eyeing the February 2012 civic elections, from their slumber.
In a race to compensate the victims, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) Standing Committee Chairman and Shiv Sena corporator Rahul Shewale has requested Municipal Commissioner Subodh Kumar to offer compensation.
An person injured from the Zaveri Bazar blast is wheeled into the
JJ Hospital on Wednesday
On Friday, Shewale wrote a letter to Kumar, requesting him to ensure that the allocated budget for the blast victims not go waste. The BMC's Kalyankari Yojna (Welfare Scheme) has a sub scheme for property tax payers (or tenants with valid residence proof) called the Kardata Kalyan Yojna or Taxpayer Welfare Scheme, that offers Rs 1 lakh to the family of a disaster victim.
Injured victims receive monetary benefit depending on the extent of their injury.
Shewale said, "There is a budgetary provision according to which the civic body can help victims, who are taxpayers of the Corporation. They need to submit proof and they will receive the amount from the BMC." The budgetary allocation for the scheme this year is Rs 1 crore.
According to BMC sources, the commissioner had cancelled the scheme after no one came forward to claim it last year. "Last year Rs 10 crore was allotted in the scheme, but only two people were compensated Rs 1 lakh each. Since no one came claimed the benefit, the commissioner scrapped the scheme," the source said.
"The commissioner will now restart the scheme and compensate the victims," the source added.
Deputy Municipal Commissioner Sudhir Naik said, "We will take a decision once the Commissioner, who is out of town, returns on Tuesday."
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