NEW DELHI, December 27: A senior World Bank executive, S Subramaniam, died on May 19 on board KLM's flight 847 to Amsterdam, but his body remained dumped at Amsterdam airport for all of five days as his family waited in Delhi.His wife and daughter, Vidya Shah, have lodged a complaint before the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. They said the airline was answerable for gross negligence, for indifference and for what they described as the airline's callous attitude.According to Shah, their ordeal began when they received a telegram, dated May 19, informing them about the death. The telegram had been signed by R Khanna, the First Secretary (consular) at the Indian Mission in Amsterdam.``The airline didn't even bother to inform us, we contacted the KLM office in Delhi but they didn't know anything. The World Bank officials got in touch with them and found out that the body had been handed over to the local police, and the airline hadn't even informed them,'' she says in her petition.They stated in their petition: ``There was no urgency shown by the airline, despite the fact that the body was lying in Amsterdam. It was terrible. We were in a state of deep shock after the death, and to our horror we found out that the funeral agency wouldn't embalm the body, till the advance payment was made,'' says Shah.Shah says that despite repeated pleas the airline didn't do anything more than stand by and watch. ``When the body arrived at Delhi Airport, the airline officials were not able to trace the passport, which was needed to take possession of the body. We had to take the help of customs officials to get the body,'' she says.Vidya Shah says that she was completely put off by the rude behaviour of the airline's Customer Relations Manager in Delhi. They had contacted him to find out about the circumstances of the death. ``The lady told me, there are hundreds of people who die everyday, what would have happened if your father would have been hit by a car,'' she says. ``This was shocking, their whole attitude was so indifferent and callous. is that the way they treat their passengers? asks Shah.According to the family, the airline told them that they had found no medicine in Subramaniam's handbag. The only thing they found was a vial of insulin. ``This is an absolute lie, as my father never ever bought or used any insulin, moreover, their claims of not having found any medicines are false, because he always carried it and we retrieved it from my father's hand-baggage,'' says Shah.The airline was reportedly so insensitive to the family's queries that even the identity of the doctor, who had apparently attended to Subramaniam on the flight, was not disclosed. ``We requested them to give us the address of the doctor, but they refused,'' the complainants have stated. ``We wanted to speak to the doctor to find out what my father had said in his last moments, and we wanted to thank the doctor for his efforts,'' she says.Ironically, the airline had reportedly sent congratulatory letters on May 30 and June 26 in the name of the deceased, welcoming him to the `Flying Dutchman Club' of the airline. ``The next time you fly KLM. you can begin to experience the World of Difference,'' states the letter, dated May 30. In the letter dated June 26, the airline states: ``Congratulation on becoming a full-fledged member of the Royal Dutchman Programme. we look forward to welcoming you on board soon''.``This was so insensitive, the same Customer Relations Manager who was so rude to us, was now sending us congratulatory letters, when we were mourning the death of my father,'' says Shah. ``My father is dead, but at least others should know that this is the way they treat their passengers,'' she says. The family is now waiting for the hearing, which will be conducted by the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, New Delhi.Despite repeated efforts, neither the General Manager nor any senior official of KLM was available for comment.
