Mahdia Tragedy: 31 agreements signed as Gov’t begins payout of financial aid

All agreements, totaling 31, have been signed to provide some financial relief to families following the horrific tragedy at the female dormitory of the Mahdia Secondary School in Region Eight.

On Tuesday, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, indicated that no family has refused to sign the agreement.

The government is offering financial support valued at $5 million to the families who lost children in the fire; families of children who were injured would get roughly $3 million.

The Attorney General said some of the monies have already been paid in cash and the balance of those payments are now being processed and will be paid in the near future.

Asked where the monies which amount to over $100 million will come from, the AG hinted that it is included in a current $61 billion supplementary funding request currently before the National Assembly.

That request for funding will be debated on Wednesday and is expected to get the majority approval of the August Body.

“Someone asked if the families have received payments. Of course they have.

“They got deposit of the sum that was paid in cash and the balance of those payments are now being processed so that they can be fully effected in the near future… next two or three weeks,” Nandllall during a live broadcast of his ‘Issues in the News’ Facebook programme.

During consideration in the House on Wednesday, a $350 million supplementary funding for the Ministry of Finance was scrutinized.

Of that amount, Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh noted that some funds are being allocated as payments to the families of the children affected by the fire.

Asked about the specific amount set aside for the payments, the Finance Minister only emphasised that the government has committed to providing the necessary assistance to the families.

He further explained that while 20 agreements were signed on July 03, the remaining 11 were signed on July 31 between the government and the affected families.

Importantly, these funds being offered supplement other initiatives taken to provide relief to the families.

President Dr. Irfaan Ali, days after the horrible May 21 fire, said financial assistance will be provided to the families affected. He also said a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) will be set up and the findings of the inquiry will “inform the way forward.”

A total of 20 children– 19 girls and one five-year-old boy- lost their lives after the tragedy. Several others were injured with one 13-year-old girl still receiving care abroad. It was reported that the fire was started by a young student, but safety concerns about the dormitory have been raised.

The government pledged to continue to offer support and assistance in various ways to enable the families to continue to cope with, and recover from, this horrendous tragedy.