18 Air India plane crash victim families receive 1cr, others in the process

Almost four months after the Air India Flight 171 crash which claimed the lives of 229 passengers and all 12 crew members the families of the victims have started to receive ex gratia of R1 crore which was promised by the AI171 Memorial and Welfare Trust which had been set up to provide compensation to the families of the deceased and rebuild BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad which was damaged in the disasterAccording to information received by midday so far more than 18 families have received the ex gratia and many more are expected to receive it soonImtiaz Ali the brother of victim Javed Ali said ldquoWe have not received the money but are in the process of submitting all the extra documents to the trust We had already submitted multiple documents when the interim payment was being processed We hope that the money reaches us soonrdquoMaithili Patil one of the 12 crew membersHe added ldquoMy unwell mother is physically in a better condition than before We were worried about her health last month but she is all right now She is still grieving the loss of her son and I my brother This money that will come in soon hopefully will help me get my mother better treatment for her healthrdquoCries of anguishRajendra Songhare father of 26yearold Roshni Songhare one of the crew members who died in the crash said the family had been left in the dark about when they would receive the full compensation ldquoTo date we have only received insurance money We havenrsquot received a rupee of the Rs 1 crore that was promisedrdquo he told midday ldquoWe are still waiting for the forensic report Without it her official documents have not even been handed over to us Every time we call or receive a call from those concerned they say the process is ongoing and we should wait a little longer But how long are we supposed to waitrdquoRoshni who had been working as a cabin crew member for over three years was the pride of her family and its primary breadwinner Her sudden death has left an irreplaceable void mdash both emotionally and financiallyPramila Patil Maithilirsquos mother has started collecting all the required documents to claim compensationSimilar anguish was echoed by Balasaheb Pathak father of Deepak Pathak another crewmember Speaking from his village near Nashik Pathak said ldquoWe have received only the insurance amount so far No other compensation has come our way In fact I havenrsquot even received a single official call We only heard from others that Rs 1 crore would be given to the families But so far itrsquos just been wordsrdquoHe added that both he and his wife were struggling with health issues and were living far from the city making it difficult to follow up on the bureaucratic processesFor both families the wait has been long painful and filled with uncertainty What adds to their distress is the lack of clear communication from the authorities The parents say that while initial condolences and announcements were made soon after the crash there has been little to no followup since thenldquoWe are not asking for anything beyond what was promised This amount is not just financial relief mdash itrsquos recognition of the sacrifice our children made while doing their dutyrdquo said Rajendra Songhare ldquoIf you get any update please let us know We are desperate for answersrdquoThe families have appealed to Air India and the civil aviation authorities to expedite the process and ensure that the promised compensation reaches them soonThe Nhava Shevabased family of crew member Maithili Patil is among those who are yet to receive the Rs 1 crore ex gratialsquoSelfless daughterrsquoPramila Patil Maithilirsquos mother said she has not yet submitted the required documents as she was in deep shock after losing her daughter ldquoAir Indiarsquos HR and a person named Kaushik came to our house soon after the crash and asked for the documents but at that time I was not in the state to do any paperwork I had just lost my daughter I told them to give me at least two and a half months to recoverrdquo said Pramila with tears in her eyesShe added ldquoOver 200 people are supposed to get this compensation I decided to wait for some time because I was mentally not prepared Now that I am feeling better I have started collecting all the required documentsrdquoMoreshwar Patil Maithilirsquos father said a person from Delhi had claimed that 30 per cent of the R1 crore would be deducted by the government ldquoWe have not received any money yet Once all documents are ready we will complete the processrdquo he saidPramila also recalled that her daughter could have saved herself but chose to help others instead ldquoShe was trained to handle emergencies but she put passengersrsquo lives before her own Thatrsquos who my daughter was mdash selfless and braverdquo she saidJune 12Day crash occurredBy Madhulika Ram Kavattur Amarjeet Singh and Shrikant Khupekar