Agony continues: Relief cheques reach blast victim’s kin late

Mohammad Qasim, a rickshaw-puller from Jammu and Kashmir, had come to Delhi for a better life eight years ago fed up with the “terrorism” that had gripped the Valley, reports Vijaita Singh.

Mohammad Qasim, a rickshaw-puller from Jammu and Kashmir, had come to Delhi for a better life eight years ago fed up with the “terrorism” that had gripped the Valley.

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Ironically, Qasim (21), lost his life in a terrorist attack on September 13 last year when serial explosions shook the Capital.

Four months after his death, his family is running from pillar to post to get compensation. He was the sole earning member of his immediate family. Qasim was killed in the blast that ripped across Beadonpura area in Gaffar Market.

A week after his death, the Delhi Government issued two compensation cheques in the name of his mother Rehmat Jahan and his 18-month-old daughter Munaza Jahan, who does not even hold a bank account. Worse, the two cheques — worth Rs 1.66 lakh each, reached Qasim’s family in Kashmir’s Anantnag on January 28, a day before they were to expire. “When we went to the bank, they said they can’t accept them as it takes a month to process outstation cheques,” said Ashraf Dar, a relative. He said the Kulgam DC wrote to his Delhi counterpart, requesting him to issue fresh cheques.

“We send the cheques to resident commissioners of the concerned district. They then send them to the divisional commissioner. They identify the kin of the family and it is only then the cheques are issued. It is a long process,” said Nutan Guha Biswas, Delhi’s divisional commissioner.