AMRI hospital files petition in Kolkata High Court

Kolkata: The AMRI Hospital, where a devastating fire claimed more than 90 lives, today filed a plea before the Calcutta High Court seeking direction to the city Police Commissioner to disburse compensation to victims' families or appoint a special officer in this regard.

The petition by AMRI Hospitals Pvt Ltd stated that 88 patients and two nurses died in the horrific incident on December nine and claimed that one patient who had been released a day before, had died at a government hospital.

Stating that it would give compensation to all the 89 patients including the one who died at the government hospital, the hospital authorities said it has already paid Rs five lakh each to the families of the two nurses from Kerala.

The AMRI Hospital authorities, seven of whose directors have been arrested, claimed that it had sent four letters to Kolkata Police Commissioner R K Pachnanda requesting him to finalise the number of victims and the amount and disburse the cheques to the victims' families, counsel for the hospital Utpal Majumdar said.

The hospital authorities alleged that the office of the police commissioner had not responded to its letters in this regard.

The petitioner, claiming that it was not in a position to distribute the cheques on its own as the hospital had been closed after the incident, prayed that the court direct the police commissioner to receive the cheques from it and hand them to the families of the victims.