JetLite passenger dies, Govt tells airline to pay kin Rs 12 lakh

New Delhi: In a first, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, at a public hearing, has asked JetLite to pay up to Rs 12 lakh as compensation for the death of a passenger whose family has alleged negligence by the airline.
In June this year, Deepika Chohan, a resident of Mumbai, wrote to the Ministry that on May 27, soon after takeoff from Lucknow, her 76-year-old father, Lt Col Sudhir Kumar, complained of uneasiness. “The crew would have within 15-20 minutes of takeoff from Lucknow realised that he was serious. Why did they not make an emergency landing back at Lucknow?” Chohan said in her complaint. She claimed that her father passed away on board. JetLite, however, says the passenger did not die on board.
On receipt of Chohan’s complaint, Pragya Richa Srivastava, director in the Ministry, called both sides for a hearing on August 17. JetLite’s Senior Vice President (Operations) A K Oswal represented the airline, while Chohan and her daughter represented the deceased’s family. According to the minutes of the meeting, a copy of which was sent to Jet on August 23, the Ministry called JetLite “callous” and “negligent” and asked it to compensate the family with up to Rs 12 lakh.
29/12/10 Smita Aggarwal/Indian Express

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Categories: Jetlite Dec 2010