The parents of two young boys who drowned in an open water tank at Maharshi Karve Garden in Central Mumbai's Wadala earlier this month received ad hoc compensation of INR 5 lakh for each victim, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) told the Bombay High Court on April 23.
The relevant contractor will provide the parents with the money, according to the city council. Four-year-old Arjun Wagari and five-year-old Ankush Wagari died in an underground water tank in Wadala West's Maharishi Karve garden. The BMC has conducted a preliminary investigation and found the contractor to be at fault. The inquiry's conclusions support the Matunga police's investigation, which led to Patiram Vikram Yadav, the park supervisor, being taken into custody. Hiravati Enterprises, the park's contractor, had designated Vikram to handle upkeep.
On directives from representatives of the civic body, senior BMC lawyer Anil Singh further stated that the water tank is now appropriately covered. The court stated that decisions about insurance and auto accident rules would be made later.
A division bench made up of Justices Gautam S. Patel and Kamal R. Khata was hearing the PIL that initiated suo motu in response to the April 1 event in which two boys, ages 4 and 5, drowned in a water tank in a public area that was left open without a lid. "What was the price of human life in the city?" the court had asked the civic body.
During an earlier hearing, the court also requested that the BMC furnish precise information regarding the eviction of the boys' family's home. The court requested that the BMC provide an affidavit explaining if the demolition was planned after providing the irate family with sufficient warning and what protocol was followed before tearing down the building. The court had previously referred to a news story about the destruction.
The bench read the BMC evidence on April 23. It stated that since 2016–17, attempts have been made to clear the land by demolishing buildings, including the one owned by the resentful couple. Notices were sent in this regard between February 2019 and January 2024.
The bench stated that the suo motu plea's main issue and the removal of encroachments would be handled separately and that further discussion of the matter was unnecessary.
A bank account was not owned by Manoj Wagari, the father of the two youngsters who were present in court, according to the bench.
In order to help the court with this situation, Amicus Curiae Sharan Jagtiani was appointed. The court asked him to meet with the father to arrange for the withdrawal of the deposited compensation cash from the court.
Additionally, the statement mentioned that Waghri might open a zero-balance account with any bank where the high court has an account, and the registry could help him do so.
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