December 6 will mark the first anniversary of the horrific fire tragedy at Birth by Romeo Lane, Anjuna, which sent shock waves across the country and deterred foreign visitors seeking safe entertainment in Goa’s beach belt. The victims’ next of kin have reportedly still not received interim relief. To ease their hardship, the court hearing the case could mandate and supervise interim compensation of Rs 50 lakh to the authorised next of kin of each of the 25 deceased.
To expedite the process, the court could send each beneficiary a ready-made affidavit on judicial stamp paper, a self-addressed envelope and instructions for submitting verified bank details for direct transfer. Alternatively, the authorised next of kin could be flown to Goa to complete the formalities. Verification and signing should be expedited. The substantial compensation is justified as the victims were young and had many working years and potential earnings ahead of them. There should be no further delay in providing relief to the families. Justice delayed is justice denied.
Stephen Dias, Dona Paula
