Fight for justice: 'We've been fooled'

Dubai: A day after the Indian apex court issued notices to the Government of India and Air India on a petition seeking minimum compensation of Rs7.5 million (Dh518,944) to the kin of the 158 Mangalore crash victims, some UAE-based families told XPRESS their struggle is far from over.
Although they welcomed the Supreme Court's move which is in line with the Montreal Convention (see box), they said the injustice resulting from the inordinate delay in disbursing the compensation due to them has to be undone.
"We have been fooled. There is no doubt about that," said Santhosh Rai, an Abu Dhabi-based resident who lost his wife and two children when their Air India Express Flight 812 from Dubai to Mangalore crashed on May 22, 2010.
Rai said like other family members of the crash victims, he has been engaged in a protracted battle with Air India and its legal counsel H.D. Nanavati for higher compensation after the legal counsel fixed the compensation amounts at slabs far less than the Rs7.5 million due to them under the Montreal Convention. The amount for children for instance was fixed at Rs2.5 million.
05/01/12 Sharmila Dhal/Gulf News

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Categories: Air India Budget Jan 2012, Safety Jan 2012