The NDDSLA, however, maintains that it is not their fault. Owing to a lack of awareness, tracing the victims has proven to be a mammoth task.
It has been over 12 years now, but many of the over 200 people left maimed, injured and blinded by the 2005 blasts that rocked the city are yet to receive compensation. Despite the efforts of the New Delhi District Legal Services Authority (NDDLSA), who have been trying to trace the 280 victims to provide them with compensation, many of them have not received it, or have received it recently.
Kuldeep Sharma is one of those people. A 44-year-old bus driver, Sharma lost his eyesight in the bomb blasts and was not able to see his son, who was born just a month-and-a-half later. Despite widespread media coverage, he was only recently traced by the NDDLSA, and provided compensation.
"After 12 years, I am happy to get it (the compensation). But money cannot make up for the loss that I have incurred due to the blast," Sharma said. Another man, 72-year-old Om Prakash Gupta, a resident of North Delhi's Paharganj, who had suffered injuries on his thigh, has also recently been identified for compensation.
The NDDSLA, however, maintains that it is not their fault. Owing to a lack of awareness, tracing the victims has proven to be a mammoth task. "We have identified just 60 victims. Many of them untraceable as their address might have changed," said Shivani Chauhan, Secretary of NDDLSA.
She also maintained that the NDDLSA had not awarded the compensation earlier because none of the victims approached the authority.
Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh had ordered them on February 17 to trace and provide compensation to the victims while acquitting the accused in the blasts.
As to the amount of the compensation, Chauhan said the minimum compensation to be awarded would be Rs 50,000, whereas the maximum amount would be Rs 10 lakh.
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