Rs 2.9-cr relief ordered for next of kin

New Delhi, October 23

The family members of a man and his minor daughter, who were killed in a road accident involving a rashly-driven Haryana Roadways bus in 2007 near Kurukshetra, have been awarded a compensation of nearly Rs 3 crore by a Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) here.

MACT presiding officer Anoop Kumar Mendiratta directed ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd, with which the offending bus was insured, to pay over Rs 2.90 crore to the wife and younger daughter of victim Raj Kumar Singla.

While calculating the compensation amount, the court awarded Rs 2.86 crore and Rs 3.75 lakh, respectively, for the death of 36-year-old Raj and his elder daughter Saloni.

“The stand taken by respondent No.2 (bus driver) that the accident had been caused to save the motorcyclist does not appear to be supported during the police investigation and neither was any complaint of false implication filed on his behalf with any higher authority.

“Since negligence is to be assessed on the touchstone of preponderance of probability, it has been established that the accident was caused due to rash and negligent driving of the bus by the driver,” the judge said.

As per the petition filed by the victim’s wife Komal, the accident took place on October 21, 2007, when the family was returning to Delhi from Ambala in its Honda City car.

It said when the car reached Kurukshetra, it was hit by the rashly driven Haryana Roadways bus coming from the opposite direction. The plea said the bus collided with the car after crossing the divider on the road.

Apart from Raj, his wife and two daughters, aged 12 and seven years, were in the car. While Raj and Saloni died on the spot, the other two members received serious injuries and were rushed to a hospital.

It said Raj was working as research and development manager with Nokia Siemens Networks Pvt Ltd at Gurgaon at a package of Rs 27 lakh per annum, besides incentives.

The driver and Haryana Roadways had denied the allegation that he was driving the bus in a rash and negligent manner.— PTI