No compensation, for he died a day too late

PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED Ram Dulari has been running from pillar to post to claim compensation for the death of her brother Sarvan Kumar in an accident on Bakshi Ka Talab Road along with six other persons on January 20. Sarvan was the sole bread earner of his family and was the driver of the taxi hit by a speeding roadways bus (UP 42 D-1941) on Sitapur Road.

Relatives of Naimatullah, Aslam, Shaista, Parvez and Bismiljehan, all of whom died in the accident, were awarded compensation of Rs 1 lakh each by the administration immediately. But, the district administration forgot to pay compensation to Ram Dulari, the dependant of Sarvan.

The reason stated was that Sarvan died a day after these six persons died in the hospital. Then DM RN Tripathi directed compensation for those who died in the accident, but Sarvan, who was still breathing his last, was ignored. As a result, after his death his family continues to struggle for the compensation amount.

Ram Dulari is a polio victim and can hardly walk but she keeps visiting the district administration clerks though she has managed to get little besides assurance. She was not allowed to meet the DM and her written applications were left to the mercy of babus. She went to the ‘open darbar’ of the Chief Minister but to no avail.

“I fail to understand why compensation was denied only to me,” she laments. I don’t have anyone to feed me and there is but one elder brother who is jobless.

His family depends on me and I also have to feed two daughters of another brother who expired some years back. I am the one who’s keeping the kithcen fire burning stitching clothes and falls to sarees. I earn Rs 20 to 30 a day, which is not enough even for a single meal for the family,” said Ram Dulari.

“I have written to the district administration officials a number of times for the compensation. But, all my pleas seem to have fallen on deaf ears,” said Ram Dulari.