The Madras High Court on Monday directed Greater Chennai Corporation to consider within four weeks a representation made by the father of techie R. Subasri, who got crushed under the wheels of a tanker after an illegal flex board fell on her while riding on a two-wheeler in September last, for a compensation of ₹1 crore.
Justices M. Sathyanarayanan and R. Hemalatha passed the order while disposing of a writ petition filed by R. Ravi, 57, of Chromepet. The court had last year ordered for a compensation of ₹5 lakh to the petitioner family while passing interim orders on a contempt of court petition filed by activist Traffic K.R. Ramaswamy regarding illegal flex boards.
Apart from the court ordered compensation, the family had also received solatium from various political parties though the victim had died due to an unauthorised flex board erected by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam former councillor S. Jayagopal to welcome party bigwigs to his son’s marriage near Pallikaranai here.
While ordering immediate relief of ₹5 lakh after the accident, the court had made it clear that it shall be over and above the compensation to which the parents would be legally entitled to under the Motor Vehicles Act of 1988. On Monday, when the judges wanted to know whether any claim had been made before a tribunal, the petitioner’s lawyer replied in the negative.
Wondering why no motor accident compensation claim had not been raised yet, the judges multiplied the annual salary of ₹2.2 lakh received by the techie at the time of her death with the highest multiplier of 18 and found that the parents might get somewhere around ₹30 lakh after deducting the personal expenses of the deceased if she had been alive.
In the meantime, the judges also took note of suggestions made by senior counsel B. Gnanadesikan, representing the Tamil Nadu Digital Printing Association, for bringing in certain amendments to the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies (Permission for erection of digital banners and placards) Rules. The counsel said, the amendments would help in curbing illegal flex boards.
Stating that many people erect illegal flex boards only because the rules in vogue, mandating permission from various authorities, were very cumbersome, he suggested that permission could henceforth be given by the local police and Assistant Engineers of the Corporations. Similarly, the maximum size of flex boards could be limited to 160 square feet.
He also suggested that erection of flex boards on road medians should be discouraged and could be allowed only on roadsides.
Published - January 07, 2020 01:07 am IST
