Sohu Village, Uttar Pradesh:
Nidhi Saxena, mother of the German Bakery blast victim, Abhishek Saxena has been struggling to prove to the Pune district administration that she indeed was his mother. It's been more than a year since the blasts rocked Pune but the Maharashtra government is yet to release the money to her. Bemoaning the government's attitude she says, ''Within a minute the terrorists robbed us of everything. But it's taken the government more than a year to understand that I am his mother. But they still can't understand that fact.''
An engineering student in a private college, 19 year old Abhishek was an only child. Mrs Saxena claims she has handed over bank certificates, identity cards even a letter from the Prime Minister's Office but this has not been proof enough for officers, who have not yet released the Rs 3 lakh promised to her as compensation. Mrs Saxena says she wanted to use that money to build a small hospital in her son's memory here.
"If a small hospital opens here, then they can attend to patients more frequently. If clean drinking water can be arranged, and children can go to school. We are trying to arrange for all this as we get more funds. Whatever we have got so far has been invested in this cause," she says.
Mrs Saxena already organizes a fortnightly medical camp she for the villagers which she claims has helped cure many. The locals here say they too are baffled by the administration's apathy and refusal to release the compensation. Says Ganga Prasad, a villager, "Her son's death has pained us, and it hurts us when the government does not help her. It hurts us more than it hurts her.'' Adds Mrs Saxena, I now doubt whether they even want to give me the compensation.''
But the Pune administration has another tale to tell. Speaking to NDTV, a senior official in Pune said the delay in releasing the compensation was because the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is yet to clear the documents supplied by Nidhi Saxena. The official said the Rs 3 lakh compensation was promised by the Home Ministry, and as a nodal office, the Pune administration only had the powers to release the amount after the MHA's approval.
An engineering student in a private college, 19 year old Abhishek was an only child. Mrs Saxena claims she has handed over bank certificates, identity cards even a letter from the Prime Minister's Office but this has not been proof enough for officers, who have not yet released the Rs 3 lakh promised to her as compensation. Mrs Saxena says she wanted to use that money to build a small hospital in her son's memory here.
"If a small hospital opens here, then they can attend to patients more frequently. If clean drinking water can be arranged, and children can go to school. We are trying to arrange for all this as we get more funds. Whatever we have got so far has been invested in this cause," she says.
Mrs Saxena already organizes a fortnightly medical camp she for the villagers which she claims has helped cure many. The locals here say they too are baffled by the administration's apathy and refusal to release the compensation. Says Ganga Prasad, a villager, "Her son's death has pained us, and it hurts us when the government does not help her. It hurts us more than it hurts her.'' Adds Mrs Saxena, I now doubt whether they even want to give me the compensation.''
But the Pune administration has another tale to tell. Speaking to NDTV, a senior official in Pune said the delay in releasing the compensation was because the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is yet to clear the documents supplied by Nidhi Saxena. The official said the Rs 3 lakh compensation was promised by the Home Ministry, and as a nodal office, the Pune administration only had the powers to release the amount after the MHA's approval.
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