CM’s Rs 1L ex gratia to kin of Volvo victims

Hyderabad: Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy on Thursday sanctioned Rs 1 lakh each to the kin of victims of the Palem Volvo bus accident. The Chief Minister’s decision came a few days after the family members of the victims organised a dharna in front of the ministers’ quarters in protest against what they called inaction on the part of Transport Minister Botsa Satyanarayana.

As many as 44 passengers were charred to death when the bus in which they were travelling caught fire near Palem in Mahbubnagar district in the early hours of October 30.

While the rules do not permit payment of ex gratia under the State Disaster Relief Fund, the Chief Minister made sanctions from the CM’s Relief Fund.

According to a press release issued by the CMO, the state has decided to set up a committee of senior IAS officers to investigate the cause of the Palem bus mishap and to suggest measures to prevent such accidents in the future. The CM has also ordered a CID inquiry into the accident, the release said.