CHENNAI: Obliging court order, the Greater Chennai Corporation has decided to distribute compensations to kin of victims who died while cleaning septic tanks and manholes from its own coffer. The civic body also had sought police help in tracing the legal heirs of the victims. According to a Supreme Court injunction, the state government has been forced to pay Rs 10 lakh to the family of each victim. “In and around Chennai there were 38 cases reported from 1993 and 17 families had been given compensation by the municipal administration and water supply department, as of last March,” a Chennai corporation official said.
The civic body, with police assistance and advertisements, traced 10 families and disbursed compensations accordingly. Further, a restaurant owner had paid compensations to families of 4 victims who died on his premises, added the official. “We are yet to trace 7 families and have asked the police to assist in the process,’ the official said.
Chennai corporation had paid full compensation to nine families, in such cases where the owners of premises lacking the capacity to pay. The civic body also paid 7 families and initiated procedures to recover compensation paid to the victims from premises owners who are having paying capacity. It is learnt that the victims’ list has been prepared on the basis of media reports and the number of victims may be higher than 38. “The government has approved the proposal of the corporation to pay another 6 families from its general funds. The identification and verification works of the legal heirs have been given to zonal officers,” the official said.
