January 8, 2014
Humane face of WB Govt – family of Jalpaiguri blast victims to be given Govt jobs
The State Government has decided to give jobs to the family members of the six persons killed in the 26 December bomb blast at Paharpur in Jalpaiguri. Chief Minister Ms. Mamata Banerjee will hand over the appointment letters during her north Bengal visit scheduled from 20 January.
Five persons – Lalmohan Debnath (50), Pappu Rahaman (20), Rasidul Alam (18), Arnis Mohhamed (18) and Ranjan Roy (20) – had died on the spot when a powerful bomb exploded on a concrete bridge at Paharpur on 26 December evening. Rafikul Islam (24), one of those injured in the blast, had later died of his injuries on 28 December, taking the toll to six. They were all residents of Jalpaiguri district.
According to sources, the State Government has decided to give jobs to one family member of each of the six blast victims; all of them will be recruited as home guards in Jalpaiguri. This is in addition to the Rs 2 lakh monetary compensation that the state government had earlier announced for the victim families.
“Those selected for the jobs include four males and two females. The male beneficiaries are brothers of the victims, while the two females are mothers. The mothers are aged around 37 and we are giving a special relaxation to accommodate them as home guards. The jobs are being given on compassionate ground as the families are needy ones and they have lost their bread earners,” said a senior state government official at Nabanna.
The entry age for home guards in the state is 18 to 28 years.
“On being recruited as home guards, they will get a monthly pay of around Rs 8,000- 9,000. This, we believe, will be sufficient for their families’ sustenance as they will be posted in their home district.”
