VADODARA, MAY 18: A month after the Bodeli mishap, parents of the 15 girls at Bamroli village have filed a petition at the Vadodara District Court and demanded compensation from Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC). Forty-one children died on April 16 when a State Transport Bus plunged into the Narmada canal near Bodeli.

The state government and the Education department announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh and Rs 50,000 respectively, soon after the accident. Incidentally, 15 of the children were girl students from Bamroli village, which had the highest number of casualties in the accident.

Vipin Pandya, an advocate of parents of the deceased from Bamroli said, “On May 14, parents of the 15 girls filed a petition to the District Court and demanded a compensation of Rs 5 lakh.” He said, “even as the state appointed committee is yet to prove the cause of mishap, it is quite evident that mishap occurred due to the negligence on the part of the GSRTC.”

“Under the Motor Vehicles Act, it is the owner of the vehicle, in this case the GSRTC, which has to indemnify for the negligence of driver,” said Pandya.

“There cannot be any proceedings against the driver, since he also died in the mishap. In such a condition, it is the owner of the vehicle which has to make amends for the death of the relative who has filed the petition in the court,” he added.

Sources in Bodeli, meanwhile, said that families of the deceased from other villages are also planning to file a suit against GSRTC.

Abhaysinh Baria whose two daughters Renuka and Raksha died in the accident said, “It was three days ago, that I, along with 14 other parents whose children died in the mishap went to the Vadodara District Civil Court to file a petition seeking compensation under the Motor Vehicles Act.”