Three Indian families killed in 2019 Sri Lanka accident: Travel agency ordered to pay Rs 50 lakh

Four years after the daughter-in-law and grandson of former Delhi chief secretary Omesh Saigal and two others were killed in a road accident in Sri Lanka, the District Consumer Dispute Resolution Forum (DCDRF) has ordered two travel agencies to Compensation Compensation of 5 million rupees.

The complainants, Mr Saigal’s son Yogesh and granddaughter Aishwarya, said their family of five arranged a trip to the island nation in 2019 through Thomas Cook travel agency, involving third party service provider Red Apple Travel.

Mr Ugesh said Red Apple Travel arranged for a 67-year-old driver for the family in Kurundughaha Tapuma in southern Sri Lanka. On December 23, 2019, a vehicle carrying a family collided with a truck, killing three passengers and the driver.

While Yogsh and Aishwarya were injured, so was his father-in-law, the famous Hindi writer Ganga Prasad Vimal. Wife Kanupriya, a journalist; son Shreya died at the scene.

The complainant claimed against the travel agency Rs. 8.99 crore for economic loss and Rs. 100,000 for legal costs due to negligence and under-service, unfair trade practices, misleading advertisements.

In an order dated August 16, DCDRF directed the two travel agencies to pay Rs 5 million in compensation to the complainant within three months from the date of receipt of the order, otherwise the two travel agencies will be further liable for compensation of Rs 1 million.