Distress of affected families sees no end!

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Oct 28: Is the annual remembrance of the deceased of the October 30, 2008 serial blasts in Guwahati enough to do justice to the next of kin of the victims? Does the administration takes enough care of the hundreds who were left orphans or bereaved of earning members in their families or inquire them of as to how they make their ends meet? Of course, the administration invites the affected families at the Shraddhanjali programme observed every year at Ganeshguri Chariali on October 30.

Like every other year after the serial blasts, the Kamrup(M) district administration is racing against time to clean the martyrs tomb bellow the Ganeshguri flyover, besides cleaning the entire area. The black day (October 30) is just a day away. There are many families which lost their only earning members in the serial blasts and have to languish in pathetic plight.

Dinesh Das, a fruit seller doing business near the Durga Mandir at Ganeshguri, was the only earning member of his family. He lost his life in the serial blasts, leaving behind his wife, a son and two daughters. The State administration just washed its hands of the family and its ilk just by dolling out some cash.

Dipali Das of Kacharai Basti, widow of Dinesh Das, said: “With the cash given by the government I maged to meet the educatiol expenditure of my only son and two daughters. However, how do I run the family? I’m working as a cook for mid-day meal in a nearby school, and earning Rs 1,000 a month. Is this enough to run a family?”

Dipali Das continued: “In order to run my family, I had to run from pillar to post in Dispur, but to little avail. The then local MLA Robin Bordoloi and Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi did assure us of rehabilitation of one of our family members with government jobs. I had to approach Robin Bordoloi many a time. So much so that my face was quite known to him! However, the Congress government was so indifferent to the plight of the commoners it couldn’t see beyond the end of its nose. The government completed its terms just by closing its eyes. Present MLA Siddhartha Bhattacharjee is also yet to inquire of our plight. I did go to meet Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal once, but didn’t find him. I want to meet him after October 30. I’m quite hopeful that he’ll do something tangible.”

Dipali Das said that her son is working in a private company, and helping her out to an extent. Her both the daughters are graduates. If she can anyone of her family members established with a government job, she can run her family.