Bengaluru: Is the state government merely showing lip service to soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the sake of the country? The answer seems to be yes going by the sorry plight of families of several martyrs, who are waiting for benefits from the government for the last five years.
Lt Col C.N. Nanjappa, who belonged to the Army Aviation Squadron, became a martyr in Operation Falcon on April 21, 2011. Hoping for a piece of land in Mysuru, his family members submitted an application to Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) but the agency is yet to allot a site to the family. The district administration had given financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to the family only in March 2013.
In the case of Havaldar Girish belonging to Madras Regiment, who too sacrificed his life in Operation Falcon on April 3, 2011, the government has so far, given compensation of Rs 1.5 lakh as against the promised sum of Rs 3 lakh. Out of Rs 3 lakh, Rs 2 lakh was for compensation and Rs 1 lakh for agriculture land or cash in lieu of it.
Gunner Ashok Mayannanavar of 191 Field Regiment and C Yoganand of Medium Regiment became martyrs in Operation Meghadoot on September 5 and June 9, 2013 respectively. While the government had given a compensation of Rs 1 lakh and another Rs 1 lakh to meet the cost of agriculture land, there was no mention regarding cash compensation as against a free site worth Rs 4.5 lakh to Gunner Mayyannavar. Only 50 per cent of compensation has been given to Yoganand. An application seeking allotment of agriculture land has been pending in the office of the deputy commissioner since 2013.
With regard to Lt Col E.K. Niranjankumar belonging to 10 Engineering Regiment, the government had given cash compensation of Rs 5 lakh and is waiting for an application to provide facilities as the family members have not returned to Bengaluru after they took the mortal remains of Lt Col Niranjankumar for the last rites to Kerala last month.
Lt Col Niranjankumar from Bengaluru became a martyr in a terrorist attack at Patankot airbase on January 3, 2016. The government is still examining the issue of giving agriculture land or a free site or cash against it for want of applications from the family members.
However, the government had given a special compensation of Rs 25 lakh to families of Seopy Mahesh P.N., Subedar Nagesh and Lance Nayak Hanumanthappa Koppad who were killed in Operation Meghadoot on February 3, 2016. Similarly, Rs 25 lakh special compensation was given to Sepoy Sadashiv Maruti Morey who died in Operation Rakshak.
Raising the issue in the Legislative Council, Mr B.J. Puttaswamy of BJP bemoaned the negligence of officials in extending benefits to the bereaved families of soldiers. “Why do officers have to wait for the families to give applications, what is preventing them from going to their houses to collect it. The bureaucrats do not understand the extreme circumstances in which our soldiers function. Such officers should be posted to places like Siachen to get a first-hand experience of the weather conditions”.
Capt Ganesh Karnik of BJP flayed the CM's Media Advisor Dinesh Ammin Mattu's reported statement in Udupi that youths were joining the army just for the sake of a job. He said Mr Mattu did not know how the families of retired personnel send their kin to the army to serve the country. "They do not join the army for the sake of feeding themselves but with the intention of serving the motherland.”
