Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday expressed grief over the death of three pilgrims from Odisha in a road accident near Katra in Jammu recently and announced ex-gratia of Rs four lakh each to the families of the deceased.
In a post on X, Majhi announced Ra four lakh ex-gratia to the next of kin of each deceased from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF).
Notably, four Odia pilgrims who had travelled to Jammu and Kashmir to visit Vaishno Devi temple met with a tragic road accident near Katra, Jammu, recently. Three of them lost their lives in the mishap, while another was critically injured.
The deceased have been identified as Bichitra Kumar, Yogindra Matari and Kabita Sahu, all hailing from Sonepur district. The fourth pilgrim, Snehalata Matari from the same district, sustained serious injuries and is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Jammu.
With the joint efforts of the Office of the Resident Commissioner of Odisha in New Delhi, the Odisha Paribar Directorate and the Sonepur District Administration, necessary arrangements have been made to bring back the mortal remains of the deceased pilgrims to Odisha.
At the same time all possible assistance is being extended to the injured pilgrim undergoing treatment in Jammu, officials said.
