The Gujarat High Court ordered the state government to increase the amount, recommending that it should be close to Rs 10,00,000, saying that the Rs 400,000 compensation for death in the Morbi suspension bridge collapse disaster is insufficient. The government was ordered by the court to provide a reasonable estimate that reflected the time's demands.
The HC further requested that the government announce a plan for dealing with tragedies like drunken deaths, capsized boats, etc., and stated, "Since this has come up, you can visualise something. This is the process used to create policies.
The HC ordered the government to document "the policies it would formulate to meet exigencies both by way of regulatory mechanism as well as the steps that would be taken in terms of rehabilitation."
The bridge collapse on October 30 claimed the lives of 135 people. The HC had started the process by taking suo motu notice of a report that was released the following day. The bench of Chief Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Ashutosh Shastri insisted that the compensation should be at least double what has been given, and suggested that it should be nearly Rs 10,00,000.
The court stated that “compensation by state to kin of victims and to those seriously injured is abysmally on the lower side. We hope and trust that by the next date of hearing, the said compensation would be realistic. It is also the need of the hour to pay appropriate compensation.”
The court also ruled that the aggrieved party's compensation of Rs 50,000 was inadequate. The bench stated that the compensation for the injured should be calculated similarly to how it is done for motor vehicle accident claims, asking for information about the relatives of the deceased, injured parties, types of injuries they sustained, and the treatment given to them. The court also mandated that any injured parties receive emergency care at the proper time.
