He lost Rs 50,000 as he suffered 1% less injury

(UNLUCKY: Narendra Lodhia suffered extensive injuries on the 6.07 Virar-bound local on July 11, 2006.)

Narendra Lodhia is not a student, but he knows the importance of one per cent. The 44-year-old damaged his hearing on July 11, 2006, when the 6.07 Virar-bound local he was in, blew up.

And, if being part of that disaster was not enough, the railway tribunal has refused to pay him the Rs 50,000 compensation, as he has suffered only 69 per cent injuries. The eligibility for compensation is 70 per cent.

"The blast and the deafening sound damaged my eardrums, cut one of my fingers and damaged my skull. The shrapnel injured my eyes and I have a permanent speech problem.
But the railway authorities have declared it to be 69 per cent and rejected my claim," said Lodhia.

Lodhia has certificates from JJ Hospital and Ali Jung Yavar Hospital at Bandra Kurla Complex about his disability, but the railway officials have not honoured them.

He's not alone

Lodhia who cannot hear without the help of hearing aids has also suffered professionally. He was working as a senior accountant with a religious trust in Mumbai Central during the time of the blast. According to him, the management brought in another person in his place and has not given him the due promotion.

According to former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya, who has compiled information on blast victims and has helped many get compensation, "Around 80 per cent of the victims have had hearing loss." There are around 65 people who have had successive surgeries for hearing loss, 200 people now depend on artificial hearing aids and 25 have undergone three to five surgeries in the last two years and are still unable to hear.