ISLAMABAD - The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) is set to distribute compensation cheques among the victim families of Bahawalpur oil tanker fire next week.

Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) is most likely to start payment to the families of 232 victims of Bahawalpur oil tanker incident next week, official sources told The Nation.

Sources said that out of total 281 victims so far 175 deceased have been cleared, cases of 29 deceased are in the court, 20 are unidentified while 57 are injured. They said so far 175 deceased have been cleared and are ready for the payment and the 29 victims whose cases are in the courts will get payment after clearance of their cases.

Similarly, they said, all 57 injured will also get their cheques. The families of other 20 unidentified deceased will also get their payments after their DNA verification. To avoid payment go in the wrong hands, the OGRA has asked the district administration to verify the 175 deceased and 57 injured. Sources said families of the deceased will get Rs1 million each while the injured will get Rs0.5 million.

Sources said the compensation of Rs2 million each for the deceased and Rs0.5 million for the injured has already been disbursed among the families of 175 deceased and 57 injured.

On June 25 an oil tanker of the Shell Pakistan Limited (SPL) met an accident near Village Safeerwala, 6km from Ahmedpur Sharqya, Bahawalpur that took lives of over 200 people while more than 59 suffered severe burn injuries. On July 6, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), while holding Shell Pakistan Limited (SPL) responsible for the Bahawalpur oil tanker fire incident slapped a fine of Rs10 million on the SPL and also directed the petroleum marketing company to pay a million rupees each to the families of the deceased and half-a-million rupees to the injured persons.

While fully complying with the OGRA’s order regarding the incident in Ahmedpur Sharqia in July the Shell Pakistan has deposited the entire fine of Rs258.5 million imposed by the authority. Shell Pakistan has deposited the amount of Rs10 million fine and the amount of Rs219 million compensation for families of 219 deceased and Rs29.5 million in compensation for the 59 injured. However two of the inured later succumbed to their injuries which took the number of deceased to 221, sources added.

The OGRA in coordination with the Punjab government and the district administration will distribute money among the victims.