HINDUSTAN TIMES, LU
—a_ JULY 28, oe
sec eaeaet
No end to woes of
court blasts’ victim
LONG WAIT Anup Kumar Chaubey yet to get information
under RTI about Centre's ex gratia announced for those
affected in 2007 Nera blasts
‘Anurag Singh
‘ aruraag singhhindstamtines. com
VARANASI: It has been over
three months since Anup (86),
victim of the November 23,
2007 twin blasts in Varanasi,
had filed an RT! petition with
the state government but the
reply is still awaited.
Anup Kumar Chaubey had
sustained severe injuries in
his ears and legs in the blasts
that had killed 9 people and
injured scores others.
‘After spending a week in
the Varanasi Divisional
Hospital, Chaubey had
received a cheque of Rs
50,000 as compensation from
the state government.
‘The man, who works as a
clerk for an advocate at
‘Varanasi Civil Court, has two
daughters and a wife to look
after.
He finds it hard to eke out
a decent living out of his earn-
ings, a part of which is still
spent on his treatment.
Tt was a year ago when he
‘came to know that the Centre
had also announced an ex
gratia of Rs 50,000 each to
those injured in the blasts.
Chaubey wrote to Prime
Minister Dr Manmohan Singh
in March 2010, detailing about
his plight. He urged the PM
to help him get the compen-
sation so that he could over-
come his financial crisis.
aia A
= Anup Kumar Chaubey
Responding to Chaubey’s
letter, PMO sent a letter to
‘UP Chief Secretary on March
18, 2010 stating if Chaubey
‘came under the category of
critically-injured victims of
the blasts who were entitled
for the Rs 50,000 compen-
sation, the desired details of
the applicant be sent to the
PMO so that the sum could
be released to him,
Unable to get the com-
pensation from the Centre
or any reply from the state
government, Chaubey filed
an RTI application with the
PIO ofthe UP Chief:
Office on April 24, 2010.
nthe application, Chaubey
sought information detailed
daily progress report on the
matter, the time limit stipu-
lated by the government for
disposing of such important,
matters along with a copy of
the circular concerned
besides action which had been
taken against the officials
‘Such a behaviour with
bomb blast victim sill
‘gal, which is why we will
‘now appeal to the appel-
late inthe case
DR LENIN RAGHUVANSH!
Exeoutve directo ofthe PVC
who had not erftertained the
matter within the stipulated
time along with details of
department action.
But, even after more than
three months, still no reply
has come from the state gov
ernment. Under the RTI Act,
it is mandatory for the au
ity (to whom the application
has been addressed) to send
areply to the applicant with-
in 30 days.
Alocal human rights group
Peoples Vigilance for Civil
and Human Rights (PVCHR)
has come to Chaubey’s helj
and has decided to appeal to
“This kind of behaviour,
particularly with a bomb blast
vietim, is not only unwar-
ranted but illegal, which is
why we will now appeal to
the appellate authority in the
case,” Dr Lenin Raghuvanshi,
executive director of the
PVCHR told HT on Tuesday.
/