CHENNAI: The HC on Wednesday directed the owner of a boat that sank during Cyclone Murasu earlier this month to pay higher compensation to the families of the nine fishers who died, asking him to calculate the amount on a par with compensation awarded to families of road accident victims.
Justice V Lakshminarayanan, hearing a petition filed by boat owner T Selvazhagan seeking to restrain the police from taking coercive action, expressed shock that the fishermen died off the Andhra Pradesh coast despite some of them having alerted their family members and employer about the impending danger.
The judge asked additional public prosecutor (APP) Arun Anbumani to obtain details of the incident.
When advocate P Vijayendran, appearing for the boat owner, submitted that Selvazhagan had paid Rs 50,000 each to the families of the deceased and that they would receive another Rs 2.50 lakh each from the insurance amount, the judge questioned the rationale behind offering such a paltry sum. He directed the boat owner to work out the compensation by taking into account the formula used in motor accident claims.
The judge adjourned the hearing to November 16 after the APP sought time to verify the petitioner’s claim that the wives of three fishermen had withdrawn their complaints.