Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has constituted a seven-member committee, headed by industrialist Rahul Bajaj, to formulate a scheme of rehabilitation of the blast victims, Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said on August 30.

The committee had been formed at a meeting of citizens' forum a day after the twin blasts rocked the city killing 52 people and injuring many others, he told a meeting of editors and senior journalists.

Asked how would the state government ensure that the compensation of Rs 2 lakhs to each of the deceased was paid to those who hailed from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other states, Shinde said the money would be sent through the respective district collectors.

The Chief Minister said initially he was to give the compensation to the victims who hailed from Maharashtra but looking into the nature of the gory crime and the sufferings of victims' families, he decided to compensate all the victims.

Shinde said he was personally monitoring the intelligence reports and assured that his government would do its best to bring the culprits to book.

After the previous blasts, the government had kept a check at railway stations and bus depots but this time the terrorists changed their strategy and placed the bombs in the taxis rather than public transport vehicles such as buses and trains, he said.

The Chief Minister said he was thankful to the media for objectively reporting blast incidents and helping the state in boosting the confidence of the people.

PTI