10 years after LPG death, court awards Rs 7 lakh to Nagpur family
The Nagpur District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission passed the order, 11 years after an LPG cylinder leak killed a woman while she was preparing dinner.
The Nagpur consumer court directed Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited to pay Rs 60,000 to the family. A consumer court in Maharashtra has directed an insurance company to pay a man in Nagpur Rs 7 lakh with interest, over a decade after an LPG cylinder leak killed his wife. It also directed Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) to pay Rs 60,000 to his family.
The Nagpur District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, in an order passed on July 2, granted relief for Sahebrao Katare, who lost his wife, Devratna Katare, on March 3, 2015, while under treatment for three months.
Devratna suffered 54 per cent burn injuries on December 23, 2014, while she was preparing dinner in the kitchen. Sahebrao also sustained 12 per cent burn injuries while trying to save his wife.
Sahebrao told the commission that he was entitled to Rs 20 lakh as per the policy for deaths caused by such LPG leaks.
In the order, the commission exonerated the local distributor for operational faults, while it directed the insurance company to pay Rs 5 lakh for the accidental death, Rs 1 lakh for the husband’s injuries, under the Public Liability Policy for Oil Industries, and Rs 50,000 for property damage. It also ordered BPCL and the insurer to pay the family Rs 50,000 for prolonged mental agony and another Rs 10,000 for legal expenses within 45 days.
According to the complainant, a gas leak occurred while Devratna was replacing an empty LPG cylinder with a new one. The gas spread rapidly as soon as she removed its cap. The whole kitchen and the house went ablaze in an explosion after the gas caught fire from a prayer lamp in the kitchen.
The family incurred expenses of Rs 6 lakh at the hospital and in the loss of household items due to the blaze. The family had approached the local police, but there was no progress in the probe, Sahebrao alleged.
During the proceedings, the local distributor of BPCL claimed the blast occurred because the gas burner knob was not shut, stating there was no deficiency in service or negligence. United India Insurance Company also opposed the complainant’s plea, stating there was a delay in submitting the requisite documents.
The commission found a communication gap between the oil company and the insurer, which delayed the family’s legitimate claims.
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