The party gave away Rs 50,000 to the next of kin of each of 33 deceased people and Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 to those who suffered serious and minor injuries in the bridge crash.
“This is a very sad day for all of us. The incident shouldn’t have occurred at all. But after the tragedy, we have collected money to help the victims,” Morcha president Bimal Gurung said before the distribution of the compensation.
While seven persons were given Rs 10,000 each for serious injuries, 200 people received Rs 5,000 each for minor injuries.
Gurung also handed over Rs 1 lakh each to Dipen Gurung, Anita Subba, Sumitra Subba, Nishant Ghimiray and Man Kumar Rai to construct houses.
Altogether, Rs 32 lakh was distributed by the Morcha today. The party had received Rs 20 lakh from the Darjeeling Tea Association and Rs 4 lakh from the Indian Tea Association to help the Bijanbari victims. The Darjeeling Gorkha Hotel Owners’ Association had also contributed Rs 7 lakh.
The suspension footbridge connecting Bijanbari town and Chungthungtar over the Little Rangit river caved in on October 22. The crash was caused by a huge rush of people who had gathered on either side of the stream to attend a Morcha public meeting and a village fair.
The Morcha chief said Rs 50 lakh announced by Darjeeling MP Jaswant Singh would not be used to rebuild the bridge.
“The money will instead be spent to create a memorial park at Bijanbari,” he said.
With more amounts set to pour in, the total compensation for the Bijanbari victims will reach around Rs 2 crore. While Sikkim has promised Rs 77 lakh, the Bengal government announced Rs 2 lakh for each of the deceased.
The Congress has already distributed Rs 7 lakh to the victims’ families.
VIVEK CHHETRI
the telegraph
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