Plane crash victims’ families continue fight for better compensation

Plane crash victims’ families continue fight for better compensation

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, July 21, 2011:The families of the victims of the Mangalore plane crash of May 22, 2010 are relieved now that the Kerala High Court has ruled that they should get a minimum compensation of Rs. 75 lakh per family.

 

Mohammed Beary, the president of the Mangalore Air Crash Victims’ Families Association, welcomed the decision, stating that H. D. Nanavati, the senior advocate and legal counsel for Air India, had staunchly opposed the victims’ families’ demands for compensations as per the provisions of the Montreal convention. Mr. Beary also said that Nanavati had stated that Praful Patel, the aviation minister, did not have any legal knowledge. He said that the high court ruling will greatly support their fight for justice.

Further speaking on the issue, he said that the association had approached a Swedish law firm demanding compensation according to international standards. The members of the association have submitted their documents to the legal firm. He also said that, when they filed their writ petition in the high court, the cause of the tragedy was not yet known. Mr. Beary also said that the association is willing to fight against any appeal that the Air India might file in the high court.

He said that the victims’ families association Stephen Erikson and Urban Olson will hold negotiations with an insurance company in London regarding the compensation of 60 air crash victims on July 28, followed by two more rounds of negotiations. He said that the members of the association are sure that they will get justice.

Recalling what he called the “callous attitude” of Mulla & Mulla, the legal firm hired by Air India, which offered just Rs. 35 lakh to the family of Mohammed Rafi who died in the crash, Varadaraj, the legal counsel for the Mangalore Air Crash Victims’ Families Association, said that this forced Rafi’s father Abdul Salam to approach the high court, which ruled in his favor.

Air India had fixed compensations of Rs. 30 lakh for women, Rs. 25 lakh for children, and Rs. 35 lakh for men who died in the crash.

Prof. John D’Silva, the principal of St. Aloysius PU College, who refused to accept the meager compensation given by AI for the death of his relative Ullas Joseph D’Silva (29), said that AI can’t fix compensation as per his current salary simply because the person, if alive, might have gotten a promotion and earned more.

Meanwhile, AI has clarified that it is not connected with the issue of disbursing compensation, adding that the issue is being handled by insurance companies. Chellam Prasad, the station manager of AI Mangalore, said that AI is waiting to receive a copy of the Kerala High Court judgment, adding that the authorities will decide on a further course of action after receiving a copy of the verdict.

AI has so far compensated only 55 families, while 68 families have hired the Swedish law firm.