Yogesh Saigal, a man based in Delhi will be receiving compensation of ₹50 lakhs from two travel agencies such; Red Apple Travel and Thomas Cook. But why will these companies pay such a hefty amount to the Delhi man? Back in 2019, Yogesh and his family met a tragic accident while travelling to Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, he lost his wife, son, and father-in-law.
Yogesh & His Family Encountered A Horrible Accident In Sri Lanka
Image for representation
The family was on a van exploring Colombo. The van crashed into a container truck and faced a terrible accident in 2019, according to a report by NDTV. Yogesh’s wife Kanupuriya Saigal, their son Shreya Saigal, and his father-in-law Ganga Prasad Vimal lost their lives in this accident. He and his daughter Aishwarya Saigal faced major injuries after the collision between the van and the container truck. The van driver also died in this accident in Colombo.
Yogesh and his other family members filed a complaint against the travel agencies; Red Apple Travel and Thomas Cook. They lodged a complaint and took the case to the Forum for their “negligence and deficiency in services, unfair trade practices, misleading advertisements and cost of legal proceedings”, according to several reports. The family ended up seeking damages to ₹8.99 crore.
Court Has Ordered Both Travel Agencies To Pay ₹50 Lakhs In Compensation
Yogesh added in the complaint how he could not be present at the funeral of his wife and son due to the injuries. He was admitted to a hospital in Sri Lanka for treatment. He faced some fractures due to the accident. Not just physical pain, Yogesh, his daughter, and his mother-in-law had a hard time coping with the situation. The NDTV report stated how he found interacting with people to be difficult. He faced issues while walking as well. His daughter went through a traumatising time too. The impact on the family has been nothing less than a nightmare.
The Forum ordered the travel agencies to pay a compensation of ₹50 lakh “jointly and severally”. They need to pay the amount within a period of 3 months and if they fail to do so, they will need to pay an additional ₹10 lakh.
Also read: Amarnath Yatra: Travel Agencies Scam More Than 400 Fake Permits; Investigation Launched
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Cover Image Courtesy: Canva, X/ Kanupriya Saigal (@KPSaigal)