Counsel settles claims of 30% AI crash affected

March 19, 2011

air_crash

Mangalore, March 19: Ten months after the horrific Air India Express IX-812 crash which resulted in the death of 158 passengers, the legal counsel for Air India - Mulla & Mulla - Mumbai, has settled claims of 30% of the families affected by the accident.



Kapil Aseri, chief finance officer, Air India, said that till date a total of 52 cases have been settled for an overall amount of Rs 36.78 crore, including that of three of the eight survivors.



Advocate and solicitor Hoshang D Nanavati from Mulla & Mulla, told media persons that even though 52 cases have been settled, they have had discussions with many more families. "We were making good progress. Unfortunately, a writ petition filed in Kerala High Court claiming Rs 1 lakh Special Drawing Rights (SDR) was the minimum slowed the process. The case will come up for hearing on March 23," he said.



The Carriage by Air Act, 1972 serves as the legal regime governing passenger compensation in the event of air accidents in international carriage. Both damage on account of death and bodily injury are covered under the scope of the Convention.



Under this Act, which has been amended as per The Montreal Convention, a kin of each victim is entitled for up to Rs 1 lakh SDR which, as per the present exchange rates, is worth about USD 1.6 lakh.



Nanavati said the amount arrived at during the final settlement after counselling, was paid minus the interim amount already paid to victims' families. Air India paid interim compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of victims who were above 12 years and Rs 5 lakh for those below 12. Also, Rs 2 lakh was paid to the injured. The interim relief amounting to Rs 14.06 crore was paid within three weeks of the crash.



"We were able settle cases where that issue (Rs 1 lakh SDR) did not arise," said the legal counsel pointing out that from the settlement done so far, cases have been settled for more than Rs 1 lakh SDR (roughly Rs 71 lakh).



"We are waiting for the judgment in the case. Till it comes through, the parties are not willing to settle. Every time we held the meeting, the affected would say they would rather wait for the judgment and then decide," said Nanavati.



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News Network
February 11,2020

Udupi, Feb 11: In a tragic incident, a 62-year-old man from Chennai died of drowning in Sri Krishna Mutt’s Madhwa Sarovar (pond) during the wee hours of Tuesday.

Police said the deceased has been identified as Capt G Sridharan.

It is suspected that Sridharan accidentally fell into the holy pond while taking a bath. The incident is said to have occurred around 4 a.m.

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News Network
May 28,2020

Mangaluru, May 28: A pregnant woman who returned from Dubai in a repatriation flight suffered miscarriage after she was allegedly denied entry to her apartment flat and also refused proper treatment in the institutional quarantine.

Fathima was put in a paid quarantine facility after she returned on May 12 flight for her first delivery.

On the second day of her return, she tested negative for Covid-19 in the first test. As per SOP (Standard operating procedures) for pregnant women, she was ready to shift to her apartment, Shivdeep Residency, located at Shivbhag in the city for home quarantine.

However, the members of the Resident Welfare Association of the apartment who got a whiff of her arrival, called an emergency meeting the previous night and reportedly informed the pregnant woman that her entry to the flat would put other residents in trouble and suggested that she stay away.

Sources said the RWA consists of some serving and retired police officials.

With no other go, the woman continued in the paid quarantine.

Treatment for a pregnant woman?

Fathima's father-in-law Azeez Bastikar said the doctors who attended her during the quarantine did not provide proper healthcare required for a pregnant woman and also refused to touch her, out of fear.

Many a time, they did not even check her BP, saying that they ‘forgot to bring the kit’. When her situation worsened, the family members contacted several hospitals in the city but all of them allegedly refused to admit her, fearing the sealing down of the hospital in case she tests positive on the 14th day COVID test.

Finally, the six and half months pregnant woman was shifted to a clinic on Wednesday after her 14th day test had turned negative.

The doctors who checked her found out that she had suffered a miscarriage and operated on her to remove the stillborn. The doctors said further delay would have costed the woman her life.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Azeez Bastikar approached Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh, seeking action against the doctors and hospitals who denied treatment and the RWA who refused her entry to the apartment.

Stating that the ill-treatment meted out to her daughter-in-law by doctors and others added to her trauma resulting in the miscarriage, he appealed to the authorities to ensure that no one else is treated in a similar manner.

He said that Fathima and her husband live in Dubai and that she came to India for a safe delivery as the situation was critical in Dubai.

The paid quarantine facility where she had to continue after RWA denied her access, charged her Rs 60,000 for her stay.

Meanwhile, the MCC commissioner Ajith Kumar Hegde on Thursday issued a notice to Shivdeep Apartment for refusing Fathima's entry.

The apartment has to respond within three days, failing which legal action will be initiated against it.

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coastaldigest.com news network
May 27,2020

Bengaluru, May 27: Amidst helpless calls for learning to live with coronavirus and make a new beginning, the government of Karnataka is considering to reopen schools in the state from July 1.

Primary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar discussed the issue with the officials from the department at a meeting held on Tuesday. 

The expert committee in its report submitted to the Union Ministry for Human Resource Development recommended reopening of schools on July 1. The state department of primary and secondary education also discussed the issue. 

However, no decision has been taken yet and final decision is expected to out in a day or two. A source said that since the timetable for SSLC examination had been published and the lockdown was expected to be lifted after May 31, it had been planned to reopen the schools on July 1.

Following the recent representation by several academicians and social activists urging to cancel SSLC exams, the primary education minister met chief minister and briefed him about preparations for the safe conduct of exams.

“As of now there will not be any changes in SSLC exam schedule. We have reviewed the situation and preparations are underway for ensuring safety of children,” the source added. 

The report submitted by Nimhans about online education is yet to reach the secretariat.

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