Compensation Cheques Bring Little Solace Amidst Grief and Debt
In the narrow lanes of Bhagirathpura, Indore, a cloud of grief and financial despair hangs heavy, even as the district administration distributes compensation cheques. The deaths of several residents, allegedly due to consuming contaminated water, have left families grappling with sudden loss and crippling debt. For many, the promised financial aid is not a lifeline for rebuilding but merely a means to settle the costs incurred for last rites.
Funeral Debts Eclipse Compensation
Inside a small rented room, Raja, the son of the late Ashok Panwar, sits surrounded by his father's belongings. To perform his father's final rites, he was forced to borrow Rs 80,000. The Rs 2 lakh compensation cheque from the authorities will see nearly half its amount vanish immediately to repay this debt. "This money is not for rebuilding life. It is only to clear what we borrowed to cremate my father," said Raja, his voice drained of emotion.
An e-rickshaw driver by profession, Raja's income is precarious, ranging from Rs 300 on a good day to as low as Rs 50-100 when work is scarce. With his ailing mother by his side, the responsibility of the household now rests solely on him and his elder brother. "Earlier, my father was there. Now it's just the two of us," he stated quietly, highlighting the void left behind.
A Future Snatched Away
A few lanes away, daily wage labourer Gauri Shankar Prajapat is surrounded by mourning relatives. He lost his wife, Seema Prajapat. Staring blankly at the floor, he poses a heart-wrenching question: "Will this money bring my wife back?" Paralyzed by grief, he has not sought work since her death. His previous routine involved waiting at a chowk each morning for contractors, earning between Rs 500 to Rs 700 for daily labour. He recounted the helplessness of being unable to get her to a hospital in time, leading to her death at home.
The tragedy has rippled through the community. Neighbors constantly check on each other's health, sharing updates on recoveries and ongoing illnesses. Behind closed doors, the compensation feels less like closure and more like a stark reminder that the struggle has now fundamentally shifted to one of bare survival.
Breadwinners Lost, Families Adrift
Less than 1.5 km away in Kulkarni Bhatta, another family is in shock. The wife of 43-year-old Arvind Likhar is trying to process the sudden loss of her husband, the family's sole breadwinner. Arvind had gone to Bhagirathpura for labour work and consumed the same contaminated water. Having lived in a rented room in the area for nearly two decades, the family was already living hand-to-mouth. "They were already surviving day to day. How they will survive now is a big question," a concerned neighbor remarked.
In yet another household, the crisis is ongoing. Nitin Barde, grandson of the deceased Jevanlal Barede, reports that illness persists even after death rituals have begun. "Three more family members are still sick, including my mother and my six-year-old nephew," he said. The situation has trapped him at home, preventing him from going to his office, while expenses mount and relatives stay over for the extended rituals. Overwhelmed, he questions the utility of the compensation: "What this compensation will really do, I don't know."
As cleaning work continues in the area, the administration's compensation, though provided, appears grossly inadequate against the scale of personal and economic devastation. The incident in Bhagirathpura has exposed a harsh reality where financial aid cannot mend broken futures or erase the debt of saying a final goodbye, leaving families to navigate an uncertain path ahead.
