KOCHI: A consumer rights panel in Kochi has ordered a Pune-based adventure resort to pay Rs 1.99 crore to a couple who lost their two sons due to safety lapses at the facility.
The Ernakulam district consumer disputes redressal commission issued the order after hearing a complaint filed by P V Prakashan and his wife Vanaja, natives of Amballur, against the proprietors of Karandi Valley, an adventure and agro-tourism resort in Pune.
The couple’s two sons, Midhun Prakash, 30, and Nidhin Prakash, 24, had drowned in a pond in an accident at the resort on October 25, 2020. Midhun had booked rooms for himself, his brother and 22 others on the previous day.
The parents alleged the resort owners, in the advertisements, had assured visitors of safety measures including a guide but they were absent at the time of the accident. The lack of safety precautions, absence of signboards and non-functional CCTV contributed to their children’s tragic death, they said.
The Rajgad police registered a case against the resort and its managing director for alleged negligence leading to the deaths. The parents initially demanded Rs 6 crore but reduced it later to Rs 1.99 cr with an additional request of 12% interest from the date of complaint.
The consumer bench headed by president D B Binu and members V Ramachandra and Sreevidhya T N said in its ruling that notices were sent to the opposite parties but were returned by postal authorities marked as ‘Intimation Given’. Since they did not provide their versions, they have been set as ‘ex parte’ in the proceedings.
“Since the deceased children were unmarried and in the prime of their lives with steady incomes, the complainants have suffered loss of love, affection, companionship, financial support, and more due to their premature deaths. The mental anguish from the loss of their sole breadwinners and loved ones are immeasurable in purely monetary terms. Nevertheless, the complainants seek an order for the opposite parties to pay Rs. 1.99 crore as damages and compensation for the tragic death of their children, attributed to negligence and deficient service,” the order said.
The panel also directed a copy of the order to the Director of Public Instruction, Kerala, with a request to consider the inclusion of disaster management lessons, including swimming instruction as lifesaving skills, in the school curriculum in the state.
The Ernakulam district consumer disputes redressal commission issued the order after hearing a complaint filed by P V Prakashan and his wife Vanaja, natives of Amballur, against the proprietors of Karandi Valley, an adventure and agro-tourism resort in Pune.
The couple’s two sons, Midhun Prakash, 30, and Nidhin Prakash, 24, had drowned in a pond in an accident at the resort on October 25, 2020. Midhun had booked rooms for himself, his brother and 22 others on the previous day.
The parents alleged the resort owners, in the advertisements, had assured visitors of safety measures including a guide but they were absent at the time of the accident. The lack of safety precautions, absence of signboards and non-functional CCTV contributed to their children’s tragic death, they said.
The Rajgad police registered a case against the resort and its managing director for alleged negligence leading to the deaths. The parents initially demanded Rs 6 crore but reduced it later to Rs 1.99 cr with an additional request of 12% interest from the date of complaint.
The consumer bench headed by president D B Binu and members V Ramachandra and Sreevidhya T N said in its ruling that notices were sent to the opposite parties but were returned by postal authorities marked as ‘Intimation Given’. Since they did not provide their versions, they have been set as ‘ex parte’ in the proceedings.
“Since the deceased children were unmarried and in the prime of their lives with steady incomes, the complainants have suffered loss of love, affection, companionship, financial support, and more due to their premature deaths. The mental anguish from the loss of their sole breadwinners and loved ones are immeasurable in purely monetary terms. Nevertheless, the complainants seek an order for the opposite parties to pay Rs. 1.99 crore as damages and compensation for the tragic death of their children, attributed to negligence and deficient service,” the order said.
The panel also directed a copy of the order to the Director of Public Instruction, Kerala, with a request to consider the inclusion of disaster management lessons, including swimming instruction as lifesaving skills, in the school curriculum in the state.