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Attorney Prakash Ramadhar – File photo
ATTORNEY Prakash Ramadhar is persisting in seeking an ex-gratia payment of $10 million from Paria Fuel Trading Company for families of the victims of the 2022 Paria Diving Tragedy, he told Newsday on Friday, July 12.
On Wednesday July 10, at a virtual hearing before San Fernando magistrate Alicia Chankar, Paria’s general manager Mushtaq Mohammed and operations manager Colin Piper, plus Land and Marine and Construction Services (LMCS) head Kazim Ali Snr were criminally charged with violations of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act, with charges laid by Insp Franz Brisbane of the Occupational Safety and Health Authority (OSHA).
However, sole survivor of the tragedy, Christopher Boodram, told Newsday the families had received no help from Paria despite the commission of inquiry report urging a no-fault compassionate payment. He said his attorneys were seeking to take Paria and LMCS to court. Otherwise the OSH Act (section 86) has a provision to pay compensation to the estate of victims where someone has been found to have violated the act. The sum is $100,000 or three years of salary, whichever is greater.
Ramadhar told Newsday he was representing the family of Fyzal Kurban and the daughter of Yusuf Henry.
He said he had proposed to Paria an ex gratia payment of $5 million for dependants of each of the deceased divers. He said Paria had not responded positively to his proposal. Ramadhar said he had submitted the proposal again to the attorneys and was awaiting a response.
