M A I N   N E W S

Panel on ’84 riots for Rs 1,000 crore relief
S. Satyanarayan
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 30
The two committees constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs to look into the adequacy of compensation to 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims and deal with the issue of providing additional livelihood have recommended about Rs 1,000 crore worth additional compensation.

The two committees headed by Special Secretary K.P. Singh and Secretary (Border Management) D. K. Sankaran have recommended not only parity in the compensation to all riot-affected families in different states, but have also called for adequate compensation to those riot victims whose houses, shops and other business establishments got damaged.

In another major recommendation, which would directly benefit the 32,000-odd Sikh families who had to relocate themselves in Punjab after the riots, the committees have recommended “some additional compensation” to them.

The two committees, submitted their reports to the Union Home Secretary, Mr V.K. Duggal, yesterday.

It is authoritatively learnt that the committees have recommended disbursement between Rs 350 crore and Rs 400 crore as additional compensation to the next of kin of the 3,094 Sikhs killed in the riots. The remaining Rs 600 crore will go towards additional compensation to those Sikh families who lost their houses, shops and other business establishments. Some additional compensation would be given to those families who had to relocate themselves from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and other states to Punjab.

The two committees have recommended to the Centre that it should speedily disburse the additional compensation to the riot-affected.

Employment has been recommended for one person per family affected in the 1984 riots either in Central paramilitary forces, public sector undertakings or other subsidiary organisations of Central or state governments.

The two reports are expected to be implemented by the Centre before winter session of Parliament, which is likely to begin on November 23.

The modalities for implementation of the recommendations will be finalised by the Centre with the state governments concerned and if any state government finds it difficult to extend the recommended compensation due to resource crunch, the Centre will chip in to help them, highly placed sources in the Home Ministry told The Tribune here today.

Meanwhile, sources said this type of high compensation has been recommended not only to assuage the feelings of the Sikhs, but also due to the fact that in the history of Independent India 1984 riots was the only one where members of a particular community were targeted.

Sources clearly indicated that the Centre would not be in a position to entertain demands for enhancement of compensation by victims of riots other than 1984 riots.

They, however, asserted that the Centre would soon be coming out with the communal harmony Bill, which would have stringent provisions to check communal violence in the country and adequate compensation to riot victims and affected families.

It will also contain a clause which would not only make it mandatory for the states to provide adequate compensation to the victims but recovery of the compensation money (for the victims) from the perpetrators of such violence.