A young doctor from Sujapur in Malda has handed over Rs 25,000 to each of the six families who lost a member in the plastics factor blast last Thursday, and Rs 10,000 to six others with injuries.

On Sunday, Joeb Ali Biswas, 35, gave Rs 2.10 lakh out of his own pocket to help the bereaved and the injured at a time most politicians are indulging in blame-game over compensation.

So far, the state government provided compensations of Rs 2 lakh each to the bereaved families and Rs 50,000 to each of the injured youths.

The BJP has demanded that the state pay Rs 1 crore to each of the bereaved families, and the Congress has clamoured for Rs 10 lakh.

For the poor families who have lost their sole earning member in the Sujapur factory blast, Biswas’s gesture has come as a much-needed support.

Doloni Bibi, mother of Abdul Rehman, 17, who died in the blast, was moved to tears.

“My son was the only earning member of the family. After his untimely death, we have no idea how we would arrange our meals. Even Rs 100 matters a lot for us. What this doctor did is beyond our imagination. His assistance would help us for some days,” she said.

Biswas downplayed his generosity. “I felt it is my responsibility to stand with these families at this hour of crisis, it is nothing worth mentioning,” he said.

“But I would urge all those with steady incomes to help these families as much as possible,” he added.

An MBBS, Biswas has worked in a number of private hospitals in Calcutta.

Earlier this year, during the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown, Biswas returned to Sujapur and since then has been providing free treatment to residents there and villages nearby.

On hearing about Thursday’s blast, Biswas immediately decided to extend some help to the affected families from his own earnings.

For this, he contacted Arif Ali, the local panchayat head, on how to go ahead with his plan. Accordingly, on Sunday, Biswas visited the households and handed over the compensation money.

Biswas also told the families to feel free to approach him for advice on treatment of the injured once they get back home from hospital or for the treatment of any other family member.

The district police are awaiting the report of the forensic team that inspected the blast site and collected samples from the spot.

“The probe is in progress. We are waiting for the forensic report and hope it will help us reach a conclusion on the reason for the blast,” said Alok Rajoria, Malda superintendent of police.