Chandigarh:Dera would have to cuff out at least Rs 1,000 cre, according to rough estimate.In addition to damaged caused to Government and private proerity ,Dera would have to pay for the services of central security forces deployed in Punjab and Haryana. The Indian railways will submit its losses to Punjab and haryana High Court soon.
The sources said the Ambala Division had already prepared its report, pegging its loss at nearly Rs 150 crore due to cancellation of trains and other damage.
This was done in keeping with the Punjab and Haryana High Court order to recover the cost of losses incurred due to the vandalism that followed the August 25 arson as dera followers went on the rampage and to compensate various agencies and individuals for their losses.
Sources in the Home Department said since the dera in Sirsa was a virtual township with assets in very district, the exercise was likely to be a time-consuming one, but was essential for the award of compensation to those who had suffered losses.
Haryana Roadways bus set on fire by dera premis
The list of all assets of the dera would be drawn up and presented in court along with various claims for compensation. The High Court had already directed the government to attach dera properties and recover the cost of compensation from these.
Sources maintained that once the the government got court backing on recovering all losses from dera properties, it would go ahead with disbursing compensation. There was a rush to do so because the High Court had directed the government to disburse compensation within a week’s time.
While losses suffered by individuals would be compensated from the assets of the dera, the government was likely to expand this to include losses suffered by the Railways due to suspension of trains in view of the unrest in the state and losses to Haryana Roadways after it suspended intra-state buses during the time followers laid siege in Panchkula.
According to information available, the financial burden on the Police Department incurred on account of the deployment of paramilitary forces in Panchkula, Sirsa and other places would be recovered from the dera as well.
A scene of vehicles burning in Panchkula
The sources said the Ambala Division had already prepared its report, pegging its loss at nearly Rs 150 crore due to cancellation of trains and other damage.
However, a comprehensive report, compiled after taking into account losses suffered by other divisions, would be submitted to the Home Department and the amount would be much higher. The Railways had pegged this amount at nearly Rs 350 crore.
Meanwhile, Haryana Roadways, preparing a similar report, had claimed that losses could cross the Rs 50-lakh mark. Other departments and Deputy Commissioners had already been asked to invite and submit claims at the earliest.