Metro pillar deaths; writ plea for Rs 10 cr compensation

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday issued notices to the State Government, Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited and others on a petition filed by the man who lost his wife and minor child to the Namma Metro pier collapse earlier this year.

The petitioner, Lohitkumar V Sulakhe, who is the husband and father of the mother and child who died in the accident, has demanded a compensation of Rs 10 crore.

Tejaswini L Sulakhe, 26, a software engineer, and her two and a half year old son Vihan, who were travelling on a bike died after the under-construction metro pillar fell on them on January 10, 2023 near Nagavara.

The BMRCL had communicated to Lohitkumar that Rs 20 lakh compensation would be provided to the kin of the victims. In his petition before the HC which was heard by Justice Krishna S Dixit, Lohitkumar says that “mere compensation of Rs.20 lakh amount is not sufficient for the innocent life which was lost due to inaction, inadequate safety measures and carelessness on part of the respondents.”

Tejaswini was earning Rs.75,748 per month, the petition says, providing her salary slip for reference.

The petition further states that the compensation “is not adequate, and the same is just a mere compensation to hide the negligence of their part of safety work and the fact that all the respondents present in this case lacked knowledge on safety precautions and how all the respondents were careless and ignorant about the safety measures and due to which two innocent lives were lost.”

Tejaswini was the breadwinner in the family and the family had recently moved into a flat purchased on loan. The petition has sought a compensation of Rs 10,00,00,000.

The HC adjourned the case after issuing the notices for the respondents to file their objections. The other respondents in the petition include the MD, Chief Engineer and Operation Engineer of BMRCL, ICICI Lombard General Insurance, MD of Nagarjuna Construction Company and its project manager