SHARJAH —Indian Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi will meet families of Mangalore air crash victims in New Delhi tomorrow to discuss ways to reach an out-of-court settlement in their compensation claims.
Speaking at a press conference in Sharjah on Wednesday evening, Ravi said he has offered an opportunity for a face-to-face discussion with the members of the association of the crash victims’ families.
His latest promise to support the victims’ families comes days before one of the families is set to move the apex court in India in the one-and-a-half-year-old fight for justice which lately saw a court order against them.
“The meeting is not just to hear them…but also discuss in detail if we can come to a conclusion,” said Ravi, who was in Sharjah to attend the Sharjah International Book Fair at which he released a book written by his late wife Mercy Ravi.
“I tried to expedite the procedures (of disbursal of rightful compensation)…But then there was this case that caused the delay…I can’t assume or prejudge what the judgement (of the Indian Supreme Court) would be. Let’s see what we can do...the intention is to help them,” he said.
After the press meet, Ravi assured the members of some victims’ relatives in Dubai, who had come to meet him at Sharjah, that the New Delhi meeting would be attended by senior officials from the ministry, Air India and its insurance company. The relatives said they wanted an amicable settlement.
More than half of the families of the Air India Express crash victims are still fighting for fair compensation as per international laws. As many as 158 people including six crew were killed when the Air India Express flight from Dubai overshot the runway in Mangalore on May 22, 2010. Only eight passengers survived.
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