Bengaluru: For Saraswathi, whose husband Shanthakumar got washed away in storm water drain recently, troubles are mounting even before she could come to terms with her loss. The 34-year-old JCB operator got washed away in the drain at Kurubarahalli, when rains lashed the city on May 20.
The reason for the added misery is Shanthakumar’s body has not been found yet, ever since he went missing on that fateful day. With two little children in her lap, Shanthakumari is groping in darkness to find some light to support her family in crisis.
Saraswati, a 24-year-old mother of two little boys, has been asked to present the dead body of her husband by the BBMP officials to avail the compensation, due to her.
It may be recalled that Bangalore City Urban Development Minister K J George and Mayor G Padmavathi have announced Rs 10 Lakh compensation to Shantakumar’s family after he presumably died in the storm water drain. BBMP officials failed to trace the missing person after a 4-day long extensive search. In addition, Shanthkumar’s friends and relatives had made their own efforts to trace the body for 7 days after he disappeared, but even their efforts went in vain.
BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad assured of stringent action against the BBMP officials who demanded the dead body to release compensation amount and asked Saraswathi to come forward and name him. However, he added, legally it would take seven years for a person to be declared dead, if one goes missing but assured of solving Saraswati’s problem on humanitarian grounds at the earliest.
At the other end, Saraswati goes numb pacifying her two little children aged 9 months and 3 years with no job in hand. She runs out of answers, when her 3-year old son questions her about his missing father. With no job in hand and financial resources drying up, 24-year old Sarawathi’s life has already gone through a full circle. The callous attitude and queries of BBMP officials where no answers can be given has left her distraught and clueless.
Saraswati’s brother Basavaraju narrating his experience said, “In the last 10 days, I have been running from pillar to post at BBMP office, where I am shunted to different offices occupied by the top brass, including that of Mayor.”
Reacting on the subject, Mayor G Padmavathi sought a week’s time to settle the issue and distribute the compensation amount to the family and added prior approval of the BBMP Council was required in this case. The government will pay Rs 1 Lakh first and the rest will be paid from the Mayor’s Fund, said Padmavathi and assured of meeting the family to give away the compensation cheque in a week’s time.
