Kollam: Even nearly five months after the fireworks tragedy that claimed 109 lives at Puttingal temple here, the survivors are yet to return to normal life. A majority of them had received only an insignificant amount as compensation, despite promises by the government to address all their issues. Rajesh Gopalakrishnan Pillai of ‘Chithira’ in Maniyamkulam here had undergone more than half a dozen surgeries in the lower abdomen as he had lost his muscles there and legs. He is still under treatment at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram.
“I am not able to walk even after four months of treatment as I lost the bulk of my muscles in the blast. I was given treatment expenses for nearly two months but did not receive any money after that. The authorities asked me to continue treatment in a government hospital where I had shifted now. The compensation I received is just Rs 5000,” Mr Pillai told DC. “His case is not an isolated one. Several such families got only a nominal amount as compensation. They are either under treatment in hospitals or bedridden at home,” testifies Deepa Soman, Puttingal municipal councillor.
Mr Pillai was an NRI who came to change his job as a surveyor but lost it as the date of joining expired. Many such survivors have received only an amount of Rs 5,000 as compensation as an expert medical team that visited them failed to assess the intensity of injuries. Most of them received the nominal amount while the government had declared up to Rs 2 lakh in solatium for the injured. Most of the survivors are manual labourers residing near the temple. Though the government had given their hospital expenses, compensation distributed to families that lost their livelihood was insufficient. The tragedy struck on April 10.
