Families had no money to bury their kin killed in road mishap

JALANDHAR: Families of four persons, including a three-year-old child, who died in a collision between their auto-rickshaw and a tanker on December 31, 2017, could bury them only late on Tuesday evening after the Jalandhar district administration and Red Cross helped them. The poor families kept the dead bodies in the open for two days, stating that they had no money to perform the last rites.
After learning about the matter, Jalandhar deputy commissioner (DC) Varinder Sharma also issued instructions that the injured be treated free at the Civil Hospital, and if any funding was required, then they would provide it from the Red Cross.

Four persons — all migrant labourers — had been living in huts near Bhagwanpur village for the past over two weeks. They had gone to a church in Khambra on the fateful day and were returning to their place in the evening when the accident took place, in which four of them and the auto driver were killed. Eight persons were injured, including six from these families.

As they did not have any money to perform their burial, they kept the bodies near their huts in the open. Residents of a nearby village provided them food. Palam — who lost her husband Dalip in the accident — said he was the sole breadwinner, while her son was injured. She had no money for his funeral and treatment of the child. "I did not have any money, so I brought my son from the hospital after his broken leg was plastered," she said. Another woman Neelam said her husband Mohinder and her three-year-old daughter were killed, and she had no money for their funeral.

After media started chasing the issue, the district administration also came to know about it, and DC Sharma immediately issued instructions to provide help to the poor families. He said Red Cross provided Rs4,000 for funeral of each of the deceased, and the injured would be treated free at the Civil Hospital. All help would be provided for their treatment.