SHIMLA, Jan 2: Himachal Pradesh High Court today ordered an ex-gratia compensation of Rs 20 lakh each to the families of 24 students of a Hyderabad engineering college, who were washed away in Beas river last year in the State.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan directed that the compensation, including interim relief of Rs.500,000, should be paid with interest at the rate of 7.5 per cent per annum in eight weeks from today till its final realisation is awarded.
The Court, taking cognigence on a media report into the incident, registered a suo motu public interest litigation. Pronouncing the judgement, the bench held that Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board, that runs the Larji hydropower project, responsible for the release of water into the river, would share 60 per cent of the total compensation, while the college and the hill State would pay 30 and 10 per cent respectively, compensation.
The High Court in its last order, also passed to pay interim relief of Rs 500,000 each to the families of each student, who were washed away in Beas river.
Twenty-four students of VNR Vignana Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology in Hyderabad and a tour operator were washed down on June 8 last year near Mandi town as the flood gate of a l nearby State-run hydropower project dam opened without issuing any warning.
The victim students were on a tour to tourist resort Manali. Earlier, turning down a plea of the engineering institute to modify or recall its order to pay an interim compensation to the families of each victim, the High Court had directed the college management to refund the amount of tuition fee of the students within two weeks.
The judges, who reserved the judgement on December 14, observed that the news about the incident was so shocking and pricking that it shattered everyone.
“Keeping in view the fact that the parents lost their sons or daughters, who were undergoing engineering course and expected to be at least engineers, which is so painful and cannot be redressed by any relief, rather no substitute is available”, the court held. (UNI)
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