Families of deceased got fully compensated only this year

After a wait of four-and-a-half years, the government of Maharashtra has cleared the compensation for all the 164 families who lost a dear one in the 26/11 attacks. November 26, 2008 has been a black day for Mumbaikars, and after Ajmal Qasab was hanged last year, there has been a conscious effort by many to forget this date. Now that all the families have got the full compensation, the much-sought closure is possible.

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166 people were killed in the terror strike. Two of them remain unidentified. While families of 163 of the 164 deceased received Rs 5 lakh from the state government and Rs 2 lakh from the PM's fund, only 76 received Rs 3 lakh from the home ministry. Eighty-eight families had been waiting for it till June this year. After the central government dispatching the amount to the states, the money finally reached the remaining families of the victims.

Milind Mhaiskar, secretary, relief and rehabilitation, government of Maharashtra, said, "We have given the compensation to all the victims' families. It was delayed a bit as there was some paperwork and identification to be done. Once that was in place, we allotted the money to them. We had a hearing in June where all the victims received the compensation due to them."

MiD DAY had earlier reported how the victims of the terror attacks were yet to receive the compensation promised to them by the Union home ministry even four years after the attacks. The compensation amount was received by the states and was to be collected from the district magistrates after completing the paperwork. Kirit Somaiya, who has actively participated in the cause of the affected families, said, "The city and suburban collectors had received the money and have distributed it to the victims."