In line with the November 29 order of Gujarat High Court, which is hearing a suo motu PIL in Harni boat tragedy, the Vadodara District Collectorate on Thursday held the first hearing to decide the compensation for the victims to be paid by contracting agency M/s Kotia. Deputy Collector VK Sambad heard the lawyer representing M/s Kotia Projects who made a submission that the victims must include five other respondents to claim compensation, including Alpesh Bhatt of Tristar Enterprises, which owned the boats; Nilesh Jain of Dolphin Entertainment, which ran the operations of the Lake Zone; Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC); a government insurance company, with whom contractors had an insurance policy as well as New Sunrise School that had partnered with Lake Zone Management to arrange the picnic on that day. In the tragedy, which took place on January 18 this year, 12 children and two school teachers were killed in a boat capsize at the Harni Motnath lake. The parents of the 12 school children as well as kin of the two teachers were present in the court of the Deputy Collector (Sub Divisional Magistrate) on Thursday, accompanied by VMC Ward 15 BJP corporator, Ashish Joshi, who has been making representations on behalf of the victims. Joshi said following the submission of the advocate representing M/s Kotia Projects, the victims pointed out to the Deputy Collector that the firm had not made any representation before the HC when the order was passed on November 29. Joshi said, “The advocate representing Kotia Projects put forth a petition that five more respondents should be added to the compensation claim. However, we objected to it as it is the responsibility of Kotia Projects to pay compensation decided by the victims, as per the order of the HC. The Deputy Collector considered our argument and read out the HC order to the legal representative of the firm. The victims are yet to finalise a compensation amount .It is clear that the parents of these 12 children as well as families of the two teachers do not feel that compensation can end their grief, which they have been experiencing since January.” Joshi added that the next date of the hearing is slated for December 20, when the Deputy Collector will hear the victims, who will also put forth a figure of the compensation. During the hearing of the suo motu PIL in the HC in November, the victims had submitted that like in the case of the Morbi Suspension bridge tragedy, where Oreva company had been directed to pay an exemplary compensation, the contractor M/s Kotia Projects, too, should be ordered to pay a compensation.
