Delhi riots: Five months on, shop owners wait for compensation to restart life
new delhi: Five months after the devastating north-east Delhi riots, in which hundreds of shops were burnt, 53 people were killed and scores others injured; while some areas find a way to forget the trauma and continue with their livelihoods, some shop owners eagerly wait for the government compensation to restart their lives.
At Mustafabad's Brijpuri, Jagdish Prasad, whose three shops were burnt during riots in February, is still waiting for compensation, even after having applied for it three times. 65-year-old Prasad's medical shop and auto parts shop and godown in the area, one of the worst-hit by the riots, were burnt down by "unknown" culprits on February 24.
"It had happened in front of me, when my shop was lit on fire. Ever since we are trying to manage our lives," he said, adding that he first filled the compensation application form on February 28.
"People from SDM office visited my property on March 5, but that was the last time we heard from them," he said, adding when he went to visit the office he was told to go away. Prasad said he had filled a total of three applications for compensation, the last one being on July 24 and is yet to receive any compensation amount. "My life has come to a standstill since then," he said.
Meanwhile, other shop owners continue to wait for normalcy as they say the compensation amount they received is nowhere close to what is required to bounce back from the damages. Mohammed Rafeeq's two-story shop at Maujpur garment market was burnt down by rioters on February 24. "I saw the destruction done to my shop in the news," he said.
Rafeeq said he faced a loss of Rs 12 lakh and that he has received Rs 50,000 compensation as of yet. "Through that, I was able to do some minor work and have as of now opened business to earn something," he said.
Rafeeq had applied for the compensation on March 2, adding that after the investigation he received the amount. "I have almost given up hope for the rest of the money. The Rs 50,000 was not enough, which is why I took loans from my relatives," he added.
His neighbour Shahazad has a similar story. His mattress shop was burnt in the riots and he said, "We have been waiting for the compensation but have received no information as of now." Shahazad added that before the riots they used to earn Rs 10,000 but now it is difficult to even take home
Rs 200.
Meanwhile, north-east District Commissioner Shashi Kaushal said that the process had stopped due to the lockdown but has revived again. "We will visit the sites and investigate the damage after which other processes will start. Due to lockdown, all work had stopped. But we have started the process already," she told Millennium Post.
