NHRC Directs Odisha Govt. To Pay 7 Lakh Compensation To Man Who Died After Falling Into Open Drain in Puri

Bhubaneswar: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked the Odisha government to provide the next of kin of a Dalit rickshaw puller who passed away on May 18, 2022, after falling into an open drain close to Market Square in Puri a compensation of Rs 7 lakh.

In deciding on a petition brought forth by one Jayanta Kumar Das, the NHRC made its recommendation for compensation to the victim’s family.

The chief secretary of Odisha has been requested by the rights commission to provide a compliance report and documentation of the financial compensation given to the victim’s family within eight weeks.

According to sources, the victim’s family has been granted an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh. According to the NHRC’s suggestion, the state government is free to withhold Rs 4 lakh from the compensation sum and give the remaining funds to the Dalit rickshaw puller’s next of kin if the claim is true.

Nidhi Bhoi (41), a Dalit rickshaw puller, was killed on May 18 of last year after slipping into an open drain on the Grand Road close to Market Square in Puri, according to the petitioner. It was discovered that the removal of the drain slab was caused by the local administration’s negligence. The NHRC was convinced that Bhoi’s death was caused by the Puri Municipality officials’ negligence after reading the reports provided by the relevant authorities.

The state government was given a notice by the NHRC, which sought an explanation from them as to why the commission should not propose giving the victim’s family Rs 7 lakh in monetary compensation.

The commission clarified that the aforementioned drain was left open due to the negligence of the Puri civic body authorities after reading the Housing and Urban Development department’s response to the problem.