Twenty-six years after the serial blasts of 1993, survivor Kirti Ajmera has expressed disappointment at the current government saying despite promises of achhe din, something as basic as paying compensation to the injured victims has still not been done.
Mr. Ajmera (61) was entering the Bombay Stock Exchange when the bomb planted at the building went off on March 11, 1993. The shrapnel, splinters of glass from windows, and other glass objects damaged in the explosion caused Mr. Ajmera multiple injuries. He has since then undergone around 40 surgeries to get the shards of glass removed from his body. He has also, since then, been fighting to get compensation for all those who sustained injuries in the blasts.
“It is bad enough that the previous government gave us nothing except promises. What is worse is that the current government did not turn out to be any different. We had high hopes from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, based on the promises that they made during their pre-election speeches. However, despite scores of letters to both their offices, nothing has moved forward,” Mr. Ajmera said.
The Malad resident, who is a stockbroker, said over the years, some of the survivors have lost hope and even dropped out of touch with him, thinking there is no point any more.
“The last communication I had from the PMO said that the office of the Chief Secretary, Maharashtra, had been informed, and that they would follow up with us. However, there has been no follow-up from anyone since then. I have time and again demanded in writing that there be a policy or a committee to look after the compensation given to terror attack survivors, but even this has not been taken seriously. If there is no government body to deal with the matter, there won’t be any solution to the problem,” Mr. Ajmera said.
He said after going the legal way for 26 years, he is now considering stronger steps. “I am still mulling as to what exactly to do. I have had several organisations approach me, offering to represent me and raise my issue. As putting my faith in the system has not exactly yielded any results, I think it is time to stop fighting alone,” he said.