Sopur mishap: Silchar Congress demands more compensation

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

 SILCHAR, June 20: In a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbanda Sonowal, and submitted through the Deputy Commissioner of Cachar today, Silchar District Congress Committee while expressing its shock and pain over the loss of lives of people in a road mishap near Sopur in East Jaintia Hills recently has demanded minimum compensation of Rs.10 lakh each to the nearest kin of the dead and Rs.5 lakh to those injured. The Chief Minister has announced compensation of Rs.1 lakh only to the victims of bus mishap.  It has been impressed upon the Chief Minister that some of the passengers of that ill-fated bus were the only earning members of their families. Considering the plight of such families, he has been requested to arrange for government job to at least one member of such families in order to eble them to become fincially sustaible for their sustence and survival.  The Chief Minister has also been urged upon to exert his good offices with the NF Railway authorities for taking necessary steps for the resumption of train services between Silchar and Guwahati. The work on Silchar-Saurashtra Mahasadak is still caught in logjam due to non clearance of the tiol Wildlife Board.  It has been held up on the ground that the proposed wildlife sanctuary at the Balacherra stretch of the super highway will be disturbed. The immediate start of work on super highway has become essential in view of the hazardous journey that the people of this valley have to undertake through NH 6. The memorandum has been signed by Karnendu Bhattacharjee, president of Silchar District Congress Committee.