Mumbai: Families of the young victims of the fire at City Kinara restaurant in Kurla on October 16, 2015, received cheques of Rs 45 Lakhs as compensation at the municipal ward office in Kurla on Friday afternoon.
Students Among the Victims
Among them were the parents and relatives of students from Don Bosco Institute of Technology, Kurla, where seven of the victims were studying.
A Mother’s Painful Memory
Rekha Thapar, mother of Akash, a third-year student of information technology, who lost his life in the fire, said she was teary eyed as she received the cheque. "No payment can replace my son's life. What I have lost, I have lost forever. On October 16, it will be ten years since the loss. But we got justice," said Thapar, a resident of Sion.
Court Held BMC Negligent
The compensation was ordered by the Bombay High Court on June 10 after the families filed an appeal against the Lokayukta's order on February 27, 2017, that asked BMC to pay Rs one lakh each to the families. The court blamed the BMC for negligence as the restaurant was operating without a fire safety clearance.
Struggles of Another Bereaved Mother
Jacinta D'souza, mother of Bernadette, a 18-year-old student of mass media at the college, said that she has struggled to cope with the loss. "It is very difficult for a parent to lose a child in their lifetime. I lost my husband in 2013 and lt daughter in 2015," said D'Souza, a resident of Everard Nagar, Chembur. "Money will never compensate the loss. At least, our loss has been recognised."
Legal Battle for Justice
D'Souza thanked advocate Godfrey Pimenta of the citizens' group, Watchdog Foundation, who helped the families in their fight for justice, and senior counsel, Naushad Engineer, and advocate Jayesh Mestry, who fought the case. "Godfrey filed applications under the Right to Information Act and kept the case going," D'Souza added.
