JetLite passenger dies,Govt tells airline to pay kin Rs 12 lakh
JetLite to pay up to Rs 12 lakh as compensation for the death of a passenger.
In a first,the Ministry of Civil Aviation,at a public hearing,has asked JetLite to pay up to Rs 12 lakh as compensation for the death of a passenger whose family has alleged negligence by the airline.
In June this year,Deepika Chohan,a resident of Mumbai,wrote to the Ministry that on May 27,soon after takeoff from Lucknow,her 76-year-old father,Lt Col Sudhir Kumar,complained of uneasiness. The crew would have within 15-20 minutes of takeoff from Lucknow realised that he was serious. Why did they not make an emergency landing back at Lucknow? Chohan said in her complaint. She claimed that her father passed away on board. JetLite,however,says the passenger did not die on board.
On receipt of Chohans complaint,Pragya Richa Srivastava,director in the Ministry,called both sides for a hearing on August 17. JetLites Senior Vice President Operations A K Oswal represented the airline,while Chohan and her daughter represented the deceaseds family.
According to the minutes of the meeting,a copy of which was sent to Jet on August 23,the Ministry called JetLite callous and negligent and asked it to compensate the family with up to Rs 12 lakh. If a passenger dies on board due to an airlines negligence,then as per the Carriage by Air Act 1972,it is liable to compensate the deceaseds family up to 1,25,000 francs,or an estimated Rs 12 lakh.
While the Ministry asked the airline to sort out the issue within a week,it simultaneously instructed the air safety regulator,the Directorate General of Civil Aviation DGCA,to draft rules on medical facilities to be provided by an airline to its passengers. As of now,there are no such rules.
On December 3,Jet reverted with a one-line letter stating the matter was under investigation. The Ministry has scheduled a hearing for December 30.
Lt Col Kumar,who was accompanied by his 20-year old granddaughter on the flight,had also complained of poor cooling in the cabin. Admitting this,Jet in its response said the doctor requested a crew member to administer oxygen for the sole purpose of reassurance as the air conditioning was not to the required cooling level.
Jet is yet to provide details of the doctor who attended on Lt Col Kumar. The ministry had sought his details by December 14.
Rejecting the familys compensation claims,Jet has said it provided all necessary medical assistance on board to the passenger as per the advice of doctor who was a co-passenger. Our inquiries do not indicate any lapses in any process or activity by the crew members concerned, the airline said in a statement to The Indian Express.
Upon landing in Delhi,the passenger was put on a stretcher and driven in an ambulance to the airports medical centre run by Apollo Hospitals. When contacted,an Apollo spokesperson told The Indian Express that Lt Col Sudhir Kumar was declared dead on arrival.
Jet said that at the descent stage,priority landing was sought at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. A request was also placed by the commander for medical services and an ambulance was made available on arrival,with paramedical staff,by the Airport Authorities. Jet Airways customer service staff was also present,to provide any assistance on ground, it said in a statement.
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