MACT grants Rs 1 crore compensation to kids of jewellers killed enroute to Kedarnath

A Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) has awarded Rs 1 crore compensation to the children of a jewellery businessman who was killed along with his wife in a road accident while going to Kedarnath on a pilgrimage.

The Motor Accident Claims Tribunal's presiding officer Vivek Kumar Gulia granted the relief to the children of Pampa and Dibyendu Samanta who were killed in 2011 near Dehradun, Uttarakhand, after an old tree uprooted and fell on their mini bus.

The tribunal granted a compensation of Rs 61.18 lakh and Rs 39.96 lakh towards death of Pampa and Dibyendu, respectively.

It directed the National Insurance Co. Limited, insurer of the offending vehicle, to deposit the compensation along with interest of nine per cent with the tribunal in 30 days.

On June 12, 2011, the Delhi-based couple was travelling to Kedarnath when due to heavy storm, a tree uprooted and fell on their bus resulting in the death of four people, including the Samantas.

The complaint alleged that the driver of the bus repeatedly ignored passengers' requests to stop the bus in a safe place and continued driving.

The tribunal noted that it was the responsibility of the driver to ensure the safety of passengers and he should have stopped the vehicle given the bad weather.

"Even if it is considered that no occupant of the bus requested the driver not to drive in rough weather conditions, the driver, being in control of the vehicle and having the responsibility of safe driving, was required to stop the vehicle at some safe place and to wait for change in weather conditions and to continue the journey only when the driving condition became normal and safe," the tribunal noted.