Eight families of AN-32 aircraft mishap victims still await succour

Visakhapatnam: Remember the kind of drama that unfolded during the missing of AN-32 aircraft last year? Now, exactly one year on, the plight of the eight families of the deceased civil employees of Naval Armament Depot in Visakhapatnam is terrible. Even after a year, the kin of those who went missing are yet to get help from the government.

Highlights:

• On July 22, 2016, the AN-32 aircraft that took off from Chennai was supposed to be landing at Port Blair, went missing, along with 29 passengers.
• After launching massive operations that lasted for three and half months, the Defence Ministry decided to cease search operations and declared the 29 were dead.
• Of them, eight were from Naval Armament Depot in Visakhapatnam

As there is no response from the Ministry of Defence, all the families are leading their lives in hardship. Except pension, that too very meagre, the eight families have not received hardly anything from the Defence Ministry. Though the government has claiming that it has been doing lavish welfare programmes for the families of the deceased employees, the victimised families in Visakhapatnam are crying silently and looking heavenwards.

On July 22, 2016, the AN-32 aircraft that took off from Chennai was supposed to be landing at Port Blair, went missing, along with 29 passengers. After launching massive operations that lasted for three and half months, the Defence Ministry decided to cease search operations and declared the 29 were dead.

Of them, eight were from Naval Armament Depot in Visakhapatnam. The victims were RV Prasad Babu, N Chinna Rao, G Srinivasa Rao, C Sambamurthy, P Nagendra Rao of Andhra Pradesh, while Maharana and Senapathy were from Odisha and Bhupendra Singh belongs to Bhihar.

According to the Naval Civil Employees service rules, if any person dies while he/she is on duty, the ministry has to pay Rs 25 lakh as ex-gratia while for the Uniform Services employees it is Rs 45 lakh. For the past seven months, the families urging the Defence Ministry to pay Rs 45 lakh as compensation on par with the Uniform Service employees.

Taking strong exception for providing job on basis of 5 per cent quota in the recruitment for the children of deceased civil employees, the bereaved families are demanding an immediate employment to one in each family.

However, there is no response from the government so far and local officials are citing that the file is pending with the ministry. The people's representatives, who consoled the families after the incident and promised their full support at that time are nowhere seen in the scene.

"Look at the pathetic situation of the families. The government should have responded immediately. But, it is very unfortunate, even after a year of the tragedy, the ministry is not clearing the file. We strongly demand the government to provide one job to each family without further delay and compensation of Rs 45 lakh to each family," said President of NAD Civil Employees Union KA Nageswara Rao and General Secretary M Durga Prasada Rao.

By VKL Gayatri