Hyderabad: Nearly two months after 45 residents of Hyderabad lost their lives in a tragic bus fire in Saudi Arabia during their Umrah pilgrimage, families of the victims say they are still waiting for the ex gratia announced by the Telangana govt. The govt had earlier declared an assistance of Rs 5 lakh each for the families of the deceased.Several families said the delay has pushed them into severe financial distress, as many of the victims were the sole earning members of their households. With no clarity on when the assistance will be released, families say they feel forgotten.“We lost not just one person, but almost our entire family,” said Emraan Shareef, a relative of Salahuddin Sheikh (42), who died in the incident along with 17 members of his extended family. “Two months have passed, but there has been no financial support. We have checked with the officials, but every time we get different responses. The govt announcement gave us hope, but that hope is slowly fading,” he added.The tragedy occurred on Nov 17, when a bus carrying Umrah pilgrims from Hyderabad met with an accident close to Madinah. Following the collision, the bus caught fire, leaving little chance for passengers to escape. One passenger, Shohaib, survived. Most of those onboard belonged to closely knit families travelling together for the pilgrimage, turning the accident into one of the deadliest incidents involving Indian pilgrims in recent years.Mohd Ikrumuddin, a family friend of Sabiha Sultana (57), said the emotional and financial toll has been overwhelming. Sabiha Sultana died in the accident along with her son, daughter-in-law, and two young grandsons. “Their house is now completely silent. The family depended on the son’s income. The promised compensation is crucial for the surviving relatives, but there has been no update so far,” he said, adding, “The 46th member on board was from Karnataka, and they shared that their govt has already given the compensation and promised a job also.“Echoing similar concerns, Sheikh Rashid, the brother of Farhana Sultana (37), who also died along with 17 members of her family, said the delay has compounded their grief. “We understand procedures take time, but two months is too long. We met officials on Saturday, they again only promised that it would be done shortly, but no timeline was provided,” he said.Meanwhile, the Telangana State Hajj Committee said the delay was procedural. An official stated that chief minister A Revanth Reddy has expressed his intention to personally hand over the ex gratia cheques to the families of the deceased. “The disbursement is pending as an appointment for the programme is yet to be finalised. The govt remains committed to providing the announced assistance,” the official said.However, families say they are less concerned about the mode of disbursement and more about the urgency. “Whether the cheque is handed personally or otherwise does not matter to us anymore,” said Ikrumuddin. “What matters is survival,” he added.
