News
Some families still waiting for terrorist blasts relief
The government last week said Rs. 250 million had been paid to victims of the Easter Sunday bomb blasts, but some of the injured say they are yet to be informed of any relief.
The Ministry of Public Affairs and Disaster Management said compensation had been paid to the families of all victims both killed and injured in the bomb blasts that claimed more than 250 lives and injured hundreds had been paid in full.
Families of injured persons said although compensation had been paid in full for the dead, many injured were yet to receive any form of relief.
The government promised Rs. 1 million each to the families of the dead and Rs. 500,000 to injured persons.
It is learned that many seriously injured are continuing to receive treatment in private and government hospitals at enormous expense to their families.
On Thursday, the last tranche of the compensation package was paid to the relatives of the 89 dead and 130 injured in the bomb blast at the St Sebastian’s Church, Katuwapitiya. Cheques worth Rs. 1 million were handed over to the closest relatives of the dead victims.
Ministry of Public Affairs and Disaster Management Additional Secretary Christie Lal Fernando said that some cheques were still on hold due to difficulties in ascertaining the identity of the beneficiaries.
“This is due to the inability to identify the closest relative in cases where entire families have been wiped out,” Mr. Fernando said.
He said compensation recipients had been determined following intensive screening, identification by the grama sevaka niladhari of the relevant area and vetting by the district and divisional secretariat.
Those who failed to collect their cheques on allocated dates could collect them at the Divisional Secretariat Office, he said.
Reconstruction of the damaged churches will be carried out by the army and navy and the cost of the work will be borne by the Ministry of National Policies, Economic Affairs and Resettlement.
Meanwhile, the National Insurance Trust Fund (NITF) under the Ministry of Finance, which gives terrorism cover, said damage to the Kingsbury Hotel and the Cinnamon Grand Hotel is being assessed by an independent team. NITF Chairman Mangala de Silva said hotels were insured with the fund under the “Strike, Riot and Civil Commotion Scheme” for a maximum of Rs. 250 million each. Under this, 90 per cent of the cost of the damage would be paid, with the hotels having to bear the remaining 10 per cent.
Accordingly, he said, the hotels will be paid up to Rs. 225 million each. They had been granted Rs. 25 million as an initial payment in the week following the blasts on April 21.
The NITF has also paid Rs. 3.2 million to the families of three police officers who were killed at the Easter Sunday blast at Dematagoda.