Man bitten by viper to get Rs 70,000 compensation from Forest dept

Vypeen: The Ernakulam District Legal Services Authority ordered the Kerala Forest Department to give a compensation of Rs 70,000 to a person bitten by a viper.

The beneficiary is Athul of Medakkal locality in Nayarambalam, Kochi. He was bitten by a viper at his house compound in 2019. He underwent treatment at a private hospital in Kochi for 19 days.

Athul had earlier filed a petition before the Legal Service Authority by making the officials of the Malayattoor Forest Division the opposite party.

The understanding on granting the compensation to the victim was agreed upon before a Bench comprising Authority Secretary and Sub Judge A Renjith Krishnan and lawyer Laijo P Joseph.

How to claim compensation

With man-animal conflict on an up tick, the government has introduced compensation for loss of human life and property.

Compensation for injuries: An application for compensation could be made over the forest department's portal (forest.kerala.gov.in). A doctor's certificate, copy of the first information report by the police, and documents pertaining to the bank passbook should also be submitted along with the application. If the incident had occurred in an agriculture field, documents proving ownership of the land, too, should be submitted. Compensation will be awarded based on the gravity of the injuries sustained in the attack.

Compensation for death: Application should be made through the same portal (forest.kerala.gov.in), along with the death certificate, post-mortem report, copy of police FIR, documents of claimants, and bank passbook details. Once passed, the forest department will grant an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh, followed by Rs 6 lakh from the revenue department.