The Hindu : New Delhi News : MCD told to deposit amount for damages

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 20, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

MCD told to deposit amount for damages

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, MAY 19. The Delhi High Court today directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to deposit Rs. 7 lakhs with the High Court Registry as security which could be withdrawn to pay compensation to the family members of the seven dead in the Sadar Bazar building collapse tragedy in the event of the court ordering payment of compensation to them.

A Division Bench comprising Justice B.C. Patel and Justice B.D. Ahmed also issued notices to the owner and the contractor of the building asking them to be present in the court on May 26.

The Bench also pulled the MCD for letting unauthorised buildings come up in the city. Referring to the instant case, the Bench said that the local body failed to take any action against the owner of the building despite the local police intimating it when the construction was on.

The High Court had on May 12 sought the opinion of the Delhi Government, MCD and the Delhi police on a suggestion for payment of compensations to the family members of each of the dead in the tragedy.

The Bench had sought the opinion the respondents on an inspection report on the tragedy by the amicus curae in the case, Mr. Sanjiv Khanna.

Mr. Khanna filed the inspection report after making an on-the-spot inquiry of the circumstances and the factors leading to the tragedy due to the collapse of the under-construction building.

In the inquiry report, Mr. Khanna suggested payment of a compensation of Rs. 7.5 lakhs to the family members of the each dead.

Taking a suo motu note of the news report on the tragedy published in The Hindu on May 5, the Bench had appointed Mr. Khanna an amicus curae in the case and asked him to visit the spot and file an inquiry report to the court.

The seven labourers -- Abdul Karim (32), Manoj (22), Anil (22), Rameshwar (22), his brother, Murari, Dhaneshwar (20) and Ram Singh (35) were killed when the entire unauthorised structure in Rui Mandi behind Westend Cinema came crashing down.

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