Sterlite Firing Victims: Tamil Nadu Adds Rs 5.25 Crore Relief

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Wednesday ordered an additional Rs 5.25 crore in relief for families affected by the 2018 anti-Sterlite protests in Thoothukudi, according to an official press release. Thirteen people died in police firing on 22 and 23 May 2018, and 40 others were grievously injured.

Compensation Rises to Rs 50 Lakh a Death

Families of the dead had already received Rs 25 lakh each, and each injured person Rs 5 lakh. The new order covers the remaining amount, taking the totals to Rs 50 lakh for each person killed and Rs 10 lakh for each person injured, reports in The Hindu and Deccan Chronicle said. In all, 53 people are covered: 13 families of the dead and 40 injured.

The decision followed requests from the affected families and a recommendation of the Justice Aruna Jagadeesan Commission, which examined the firing.

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Eight Years After the Firing

The protests were against the Sterlite copper smelter in Thoothukudi, which residents blamed for pollution. The Justice Aruna Jagadeesan Commission was set up to inquire into the police firing of May 2018.

Poovulagin Nanbargal, an environmental group quoted by India Today, welcomed the relief but said compensation alone is not justice. It demanded punishment for those held responsible and the demolition of the plant. The government release did not address those demands.

IPB News covers the state in its Tamil Nadu reports, including the opposition’s attack on the Vijay government over the Diwali murders.

Disbursement Is the Next Step

The government has not given a date for payment. The next step is disbursement of the Rs 5.25 crore to the 53 beneficiaries, which the district administration in Thoothukudi will have to carry out.

Source: Based on the Tamil Nadu government press release as reported by Deccan Chronicle, The Hindu and India Today.

Image: Indian Opinion.