BENGALURU: The State Government on Tuesday informed the Karnataka High Court that it has decided to increase compensation for the family members of 13, out of the 24 Covid patients, who died due to a lack of oxygen at the district hospital in Chamarajanagar in May this year. The enhancement comes in view of the observations made by the court that Rs 2 lakh compensation is very less.
Advocate General Prabhuling K Navadagi informed a special division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Aravind Kumar that the government will pay an additional Rs 3 lakh ex-gratia, apart from the Rs 2 lakh already paid, to the kin of the three victims who died between 10.30 pm on May 2 and 2.20 am on May 3, while an additional Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia will be paid to the kin of the 10 other victims, who lost their lives between 2.21 am and 9 am on May 3.
He told the court that the government will wait for the report of the Commission of Inquiry for payment of additional compensation to the 11 other victims, who died before 10.30 pm on May 2, in addition to Rs 2 lakh already paid to their kin.Recording the same, the court asked the government to consider that the benefit of enhancement of additional compensation be extended to the 11 others as well. It may be noted that the committee of the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority submitted a report, confirming that the death of the 24 patients occurred due to a lack of oxygen.