The long wait for justice is finally over for Sanjukta Mohanty, a middle-aged woman from Hatasahi under Satyabadi block in Puri district.
The widow, who lost her husband Parsuram Mohanty to an ambulance accident caused by alleged negligence of a driver 18 years back, received a compensation of Rs 22.70 lakh from the State government on Friday.
As per family sources, Mohanty, who used to work in the central excise department, had suffered critical injuries after a portion of wall had fallen on him.
“My father had suffered fracture in his waist in the wall collapse. After undergoing treatment at Puri hospital for a week, he was referred to Cuttack SCB. On the way to Cuttack on April 1, 2004, the ambulance driver consumed liquor and hit a stationary truck,” recalled Mohanty’s son Prabikhya.
“My father died on the spot while my mother was left with a broken leg. My maternal uncle and aunt who were in the ambulance had also suffered serious injuries,” he added.
The family members had filed a case with Bhubaneswar Motor Accident Claim Tribunal alleging that the mishap occurred due to negligence of the ambulance driver and they sought compensation.
The tribunal after hearing the plea had ordered Rs 9.77 lakh compensation along with an interest of 7 per cent till the amount is paid. After enduring the pain and running from pillar to post, the family finally received the compensation of Rs 22.70 lakh on Friday.
“In the last 18 years, we have endured a lot of pain. My mother, younger sister, and brother even tried to immolate self after being frustrated over the delay in justice. We had also filed pleas with the President of India seeking permission for euthanasia,” said Prabikhya.
Sanjukta Mohanty, wife of Parsuram Mohanty, said, “Finally, we got justice. I thank the government for giving me the compensation.”
Speaking about the case, Additional Collector Pradeep Kumar Sahu said, “The District Collector sent several letters to various departments like health, law, general administration as well as Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF). Finally, the claimant received the compensation. It can be termed as a major success accomplished under the supervision of the Collector.”
Reported by Madhusudan Mishra, OTV