Body of pilgrim killed in accident flown home

The body of an Amarnath pilgrim, killed in a road accident yesterday, was today sent to his native place in Uttar Pradesh by the Shrine Board that also sanctioned an ex-gratia relief of Rs one lakh to his family.
Fifteen of the 23 pilgrims, who were injured in the accident near Sangam on Srinagar-Jammu national highway while returning after paying obeisance at the holy cave in south Kashmir, were given air tickets by the Shrine Board after they were discharged from the hospital, an official spokesman said.
Pramod Kumar Gupta of Meerut and driver Bilal Ahmad Mir of Ganderbal were killed when their Jammu-bound bus collided with a truck on the highway in the wee hours yesterday.

The locals of Bijbehara had defied curfew, rescued the injured and shifted them to hospital where three of them were discharged after first aid.
Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra, who is also the chairman of the Shrine Board, directed its Chief Executive Officer P K Tripathi to provide ex-gratia relief of Rs 1 lakh each to the families of the deceased.
The Board sent Gupta's body home by air and gave air tickets to 15 injured pilgrims after they were discharged from the hospital, the spokesman said.