Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Sep 2: The process of disbursing compensation to the families of the passengers of the ill-fated Air India Express flight from Dubai that crashed while landing at the local airport on May 22 this year, began in the city on Tuesday August 31.

Compensation is being determined by the insurer companies, depending on the income of the deceased passengers, and ranges between Rs 25 lac and Rs 90 lac. Some of the affected families have objected to the procedure of linking the quantum of compensation to the income levels of the victims.

On Tuesday, two families received compensation of Rs 90 lac each, while another got Rs 47 lac. A family, to which Rs 37 lac was decided as the compensation amount, refused to accept the same. On Wednesday, a family was offered Rs 30 lac, while two other families were offered Rs 25 lac each. While a family, which is very poor, accepted Rs 25 lac as final settlement, the other two offers were rejected by the families concerned.

A few families say that as per the Montreal Convention, every affected family is eligible to receive Rs 75 lac on an average, as comepnsation. They resented the norm adopted for deciding the compensation amount, saying that this norm is applicable only in case of road accidents.

Air Crash Victims Families Association has opined that it will have no other go but to approach the International Court of Arbitration, if the families find that they are being fleeced while settling their claims. An emergency meeting of the association members held at Kasargod, has accused the insurance companies of trying to deviate from set procedures and settling compensation dues on the basis of the income earned by the deceased passengers, with the specific aim of decrease their insurance liabilities.  It also objected to meagre compensation amounts the companies have offered to settle claims relating to women and child victims.