Rewari: Explain why criteria for payment of relief to victims varies, NGT asks firm

Ravinder Saini

Rewari, April 22

Taking a serious note of the payment of ‘different’ amounts of compensation released to the next of kin of the victims of a boiler explosion that occurred at M/s Lifelong Auto Private Limited in Dharuhera here on March 16, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the state government and the company management to clarify the difference.

Families paid on humanitarian grounds

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The Assistant Labour Commissioner, Labour Department, Rewari, in a letter sent to the Rewari DC, disclosed that the company management on humanitarian grounds agreed to pay Rs 17.5 lakh each to the victims’ nominees. Out of this, some amount has already been released and the rest will be paid in due course of time. — Sources

Response to be filed a week before hearing

The NGT has fixed July 24 as the next date of hearing in the case. It has ordered that a notice be issued to the company for filing the response before it at least one week before the next date of hearing

“The Assistant Labour Commissioner, Labour Department, Rewari, in a letter sent to the Rewari DC disclosed that the company management on humanitarian grounds agreed to pay Rs 17.5 lakh each to the victims’ nominees. Out of this, some amount has already been released and the rest will be paid in the due course of time,” said sources.

The sources said a copy of the letter had also been submitted by the authorities to the NGT in reply to a question asked by the latter whether any compensation had been provided to the affected employees.

The NGT, while taking a suo motu action over the media reports regarding the incident had, as per the sources, asked the district authorities to file a reply about the deceased and injured workers, their treatment, medical cost, compensation awarded to their kin, what remedies were available with the department concerned if such accident took place, who was liable to inspect the industry/ equipment periodically to avoid such incident etc. A total of 39 workers suffered injuries in the blast and 16 among them succumbed to their injuries. A majority of them were migrant labourers and some of them were the sole breadwinners of their families.

The sources said in the reply submitted to the NGT, there was a difference between monetary benefits given by the Labour Welfare Board and the company management to the injured and deceased workers hence the NGT had sought clarification in this respect.

“A perusal of the chart reveals that different amounts have been paid to the family members of the deceased workers and to some of them, no amount has been released by the company. Therefore, it is required to be explained both by the state government as also by the company as to why different criteria has been adopted for the payment of compensation to the family members of the victims. Same is the position in respect of the injured,” observes the NGT in its orders.

The NGT has fixed July 24 as the next date of hearing in the case.