PM augments ex-gratia to Ahmedabad terror victims

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 3.5 lakh to the next of kin of deceased and an additional Rs 50 thousand to the injured of the Ahmedabad terror victims. This is in addition to the Rs 1 lakh to the next of kin of deceased and Rs 50 thousand to the injured announced by Prime Minister on July 26.

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The relief was announced by Dr. Manmohan Singh on Monday while he was on a healing mission to Ahmedabad accompanied with External Affairs Minister Shivraj Patil and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

Prime Minister instead of indulging in blame-game visited traumatised victims in hospitals, showed solidarity with the people of Gujarat, praised their resilience and vowed to rise to the challenge and defeat such forces intended to disrupt normalcy and communal harmony.

“I have come to express our solidarity with the people of Gujarat in their hour of crisis. I commend the people of Gujarat for their resilience they have shown,” said Dr. Singh while accompanied by Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat, by his side.

Praising the citizens for their courage in the wake of blasts, the PM said the terrorist acts were aimed at infringing our social fabric, undermining communal harmony and demoralising our people. But our people’s admirable work has given a tight slap on those behind the blasts. Terrorists will not be forgiven at any cost. “We will rise to the challenge and I am confident we will be able to defeat these forces,” he said.

The resilience shown by the Gujaratis reflected in their usual fashion of daily routine which they resumed just a couple of days after the 19 synchronised bomb blasts rocked the city on Saturday.

Fearless children made their way to schools, offices goers rushed to their workplace and shopkeepers and traders went to shops as they scrambled to forget the terrified night of Saturday that took toll of at least 49 people and about 145 injured. Although crowd was thin at malls and busy markets, it was more because of heavy rain than terror.

The diamond market in Surat was, however, closed for the security purposes as just a day earlier two cars laden with explosives and detonators recovered and another live bomb was defused in the city by the police. Sketch of a suspicious person has been released by the police on account of a witness who saw the man parking explosives laden cars.

Dr. Singh accompanied with Sonia Gandhi and Shivraj Patil reached Ahmedabad’s civil hospital at 3:15 pm. Dr. Singh was accompanied by Narendra Modi, who briefed him the steps being taken by the State Government in the wake of the blasts, during his way to hospital in his black BMW car followed by another car-white Safari in which Ms Gandhi, Patil and a local Congress leader were travelling.

On Sunday, the Opposition Leader and the prime ministerial candidate L K Advani visited Ahmedabad and in his as usual fashion condemned Centre for its “soft approach” to the terrorism.