CLAIMS
ABOUT ACCIDENT COMPENSATION CLAIMS
In order to
expedite Accident Compensation Claims, Railway Claims Tribunals (RCTs) have been set up at 18 locations in
Next kin of
deceased passengers and injured passengers can file their claims before the RCT
having jurisdiction over the place of accident. A specimen of the application
form in which the claim for compensation has to be filed can be downloaded from
the website. With the relevant enclosures, this is required to be sent to the
RCT having jurisdiction over the place of accident. For instance, for the
recent accident between two passenger carrying trains at Gaisal
(dt. 2.8.99), compensation claims will have to be
filed before the Calcutta Bench of the RCT. Railways provide emergent relief to passengers by way of 'ex-gratia' at the accident site itself or at the hospital
where the injured are admitted. The following ex-gratia
amounts are admissible presently:
Amount
In case of
death Rs.15, 000/- In case of grievous injury Rs.5, 000/- In case of simple
injury Rs.500/- Prospective claimants have to register a claim within one year
of the date of the accident/untoward incident. Passengers who have sustained
injuries or any dependant of theirs can file a claim on their behalf.
Next of kin of deceased passengers who are dependent on them can file a claim
on their behalf. There is a provision for claimants to get the cases transferred
from one bench to another citing proximity of residence or any other reason as
a cause. An application addressed to the Chairman/RCT Main Bench
shall assist transfers.
The maximum liability of the Railway in a train- accident is Rs.4, 00, 000/- in case of death. In case of injuries, the compensation payable ranges from Rs.32, 000/- to Rs.3, 60, 000/- depending on the gravity of the injury sustained. The setting up of the RCTs has helped expedite finalisation of cases. What ordinarily used to take 3-4 years in civil courts, is now finalised in about seven months.
JURISDICTION
OF THE RAILWAY CLAIMS TRIBUNAL (RCT) BENCHES
|
Sr. No |
Headquarters of the Bench of the Railway Claims Tribunal |
Territorial jurisdiction of the
Bench
|
|
1. |
Ahmedabad |
|
|
2. |
|
Karnataka |
|
3. |
|
Madhya Pradesh |
|
4. |
|
Orissa |
|
5. |
|
(i)Districts of Bombay, Thane,
Raigad,
Pune,
Nasik,
Ahmednagar,
Satara,
Ratnagiri,
Sindhudurg,
Kohlapur,
Sangli,
Solapur,
Dhule,
Aurangabad,
Beed of Maharashtra.
(ii) |
|
6. |
|
All Districts of Maharashtra except
those included in item ( i
) of Column (3) against serial number 5. |
|
7. |
|
|
|
8. |
|
|
|
9. |
Guwahati |
|
|
10. |
Ernakulam |
Kerala, |
|
11. |
|
Districts of Gorakhpur, Deoria, Ballia, Gazipur, Azamgarh,
Mau, Basti, Siddarthanagar, Mirzapur, Robertsganj, Jaunpur, Faizabad, Gonda, Behraich, Sultanpur, Pratapgarh, Allahabad, Varanasi, Pilibhit of Uttar Pradesh.
|
|
12. |
|
Districts of Agra, Bulandhshahar, Moradabad, Bijnore, Mathura, Ghaziabad, Haridwar, Aligarh, Dehradun, Saharanpur of Uttarpradesh. |
|
13. |
|
All Districts of Uttar Pradesh except those included in column
(3) against serial numbers 11 and 12. |
|
14. |
Jaipur |
Rajasthan |
|
15. |
|
|
|
16. |
|
|
|
17. |
|
Tamil Nadu and |
|
18. |
Secunderabad |
Andhra Pradesh. |
PLACE OF FILING OF APPLICATION
As per amendment
made in the Rule 8 of the Railway Claims Tribunal (Procedure) Rules 1989 in
application for compensation can be filed in any one of the bench of the
Railway Claims Tribunal having Territorial jurisdiction over
a)
the place where accident/Untoward incident occurred, OR
b)
the place from where the passenger obtains/purchases his ticket,
OR
c)
the place where the destination station lies, OR
d)
the place where the claimant normally resides