Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy handed over an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the victims of the bus fire accident that claimed 44 lives during their Umrah pilgrimage in Madina, Saudi Arabia, on November 17 last year.
Mohammed Abdul Shoaib, the lone survivor of the accident, was given an ex gratia of Rs 3 lakh.
A total of Rs 2.23 crore ex gratia amount was handed over to the families at the Dr BR Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat on Saturday, February 28.
A total of 45 pilgrims were travelling in the bus when it collided with a diesel tanker on the outskirts of Madina city. Among them, 16 were men, and 28 were women. Ten children were among those who lost their lives in the horrific accident.
Speaking about the immediate steps taken by the government after the incident, Chief Minister Revanth said the Telangana Haj Committee and the General Administration Department of the Telangana Secretariat coordinated with officials of the Indian Consulate in Jeddah and set up a control room there.
“Minorities Welfare Minister Mohammed Azharuddin was immediately flown to Madina to coordinate with Saudi authorities and ensure that the final rites and burial of the victims were performed at the Jannatul Baqi graveyard in Madina in accordance with Islamic traditions,” he said.
He added that emergency visas were arranged for family members of the victims to travel to Madina to attend the last rites.
Reiterating his commitment to minority welfare, he said that since 2009, he has facilitated selected individuals to undertake the Haj pilgrimage every year. “The Congress government stands for its people,” he said.
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