Fire due to defective LPG cylinder, IOC to give Rs 30L to kids

The apex consumer commission has ordered Indian Oil Corporation to pay Rs 30-lakh compensation to two minor siblings, who were injured and whose parents died in a fire accident due to LPG leak from the firm's cylinder in 2005.
The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) said it was pained at the "insensitive attitude of the country's one of the biggest monopolistic public sector undertakings, IOC", which did not take the accident seriously.
A bench comprising NCDRC president Justice D K Jain and its member M Shreesha upheld Gujarat State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission's award of Rs 25 lakh compensation, to be paid by IOC, and also added Rs five lakh further compensation.

The court said the conduct of the manufacturer was "reprehensive".
It added instead of getting at the very root of the incident by investigating its cause to prevent such incidents in future, the IOC "has chosen to raise all possible technical objections to the maintainability of the complaint and drag the two minor complainants up to this stage. We say no more".
It said the state commission has rightly held the IOC and the distributor of the gas cylinder guilty of deficiency in service.

"Though every human life is precious and it is impossible to evaluate its money value, but regard being had to the facts of the instant case, where two young lives (both below the age of 40 years) have been lost and two minor children have suffered grievous burn injuries requiring constant treatment, perhaps plastic surgery as well, we are of the view that the afore-stated compensation awarded to them deserves to be enhanced," it added.

According to the complaint, Sona Rajesh Hukmatanai, her brother Dhiraj Rajesh Hukmatani, both studying then in classes III and I respectively, and their parents received burn injuries after a defective LPG cylinder, from which the gas was leaking out, caught fire after their mother tried to ignite the burner on March 2, 2005.
The fire engulfed the entire premises, the parents - 37 -year-old Rajesh Hiranand Hukmatani and Suman Rajesh Hukmatani, 28, succumbed to their injuries subsequently.
A notice was sent to the respondents on October 26, 2005, claiming compensation on account of the blast caused by the said cylinder, supplied by them. However, no payment was made.

A complaint was, thereafter, filed before the state commission seeking a direction to them to pay Rs 83,00,000 as compensation.