Sanjha Morcha

Martyr’s family awaits benefits announced by state govt

Martyr’s family awaits benefits announced by state govt
Havildar Lakhveer Singh

Our Correspondent

Nurpur, November 8

The family members of martyr Havildar Lakhveer Singh (51) of Buskwara village in Maira gram panchayat of Jawali subdivision have been running from pillar to post seeking fulfilment of promises announced by the government and political leaders of Kangra district after his martyrdom. He had lost his life in a Naxalite ambush in Chhattisgarh on March 11, 2014. The martyr, son of an ex-serviceman Capt Harnam Singh (retd), earlier served in 10 Para Commando unit of the Indian Army and re-joined the CRPF in 2009 after his retirement from the Army.Top leaders of various political parties from Kangra district happened to visit the family of the martyr during those days and announced a number of works as a tribute to the martyr but none of them had kick-started so far. His father Harnam Singh, mother Sarla Devi and wife Lalita Devi said the state government had promised to name government high school at Maira after martyr Lakhveer Singh’s name, build pucca approach road to the martyr’s house and a memorial gate in the local gram panchayat. They lamented that none of these announcements had been fulfilled despite their repeated requests and representations to the state government.They revealed that former Lok Sabha MP Dr Rajan Sushant, present Lok Sabha MP Shanta Kumar, former minister Chander Kumar, Chief Parliamentary Secretary-cum-local MLA Neeraj Bharti and the then Deputy Commissioner, Kangra, had visited their house to condole the killing of Lakhveer Singh in the Naxalite attack and given such assurances to the bereaved family. “They had even met Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh at Bharmour during his visit to the Jawali Assembly constituency in 2014 who also assured to fulfil these commitments. He had also announced ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the family. But none of the promises has been met so far,” they rued.The family members of the martyr said they had submitted a representation to the state government in 2014 through the SDM, Jawali, with supportive resolutions of the surrounding gram panchayats of Maira, Sidhpur-Ghar and Bharmar and an estimate of Rs 4 lakh had been prepared for the construction of a memorial gate by the local Public Works Department but in vain. They had appealed to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to implement his commitments forthwith so that the martyr’s supreme sacrifice could get recognition.