The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to pay an ad hoc compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the parents of two minor boys who died after falling into an open water tank in a civic garden. A division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Kamal Khata was informed by BMC counsel Anil Singh that the amount would be paid by the contractor concerned, who was responsible for maintaining the garden where the incident took place.
The incident occurred on April 1 when the two children, aged four and five years, went to play in the Maharshi Karve Garden located in Wadala. The bodies of the children were later found in the water tank, which did not have any proper cover or lid.
The high court had taken suo motu cognizance of the incident and initiated a public interest litigation. Singh on Tuesday told the court that a sum of Rs 10 lakh (Rs 5 lakh per child) would be paid by the contractor to the parents of the victims as ad hoc compensation.
The court accepted the statement and posted the matter for further hearing in June.
