Chavan promises relief for 26/11 victims

Facing the Opposition's onslaught over issue of compensation to 26/11 victims, the Maharashtra government on Friday announced that it would go the extra mile to ensure that relief measures reach all those affected in the incident.

Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said he has asked district collectors to appoint special officers to identify the victims of the Mumbai attacks who were yet to get compensation. "These officers would visit the homes of the victims and help them sort issues related to compensation claims," he told reporters.

He said the delay in settling compensation claims was on account of missing documents, while in cases of deceased victims there was some problems regarding legal heirs. The officials appointed by the District Collectors will reach out to the families of the victims and help them with relevant documentation to cut any further delays in settling claims.

Parliament proceedings were rocked yesterday when the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha L K Advani voiced concern over "slow pace" of relief to the victims, evoking angry response from Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee who accused the BJP of exploiting the 26/11 incident for political gains.

Advani had said out of 403 persons eligible for relief, only 118 had received cheques so far and while 64 of them were eligible for railway jobs, only 32 had got offers till now.