Nagpur: The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has granted a final opportunity to the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) to file its response in a petition filed by the family members of eight deceased COVID warriors, including Rangkesh Shirke, over the delay in compensation. The families are seeking ₹50 lakh each as per the state government’s policy.
During the hearing, the court was informed that while the state had formulated a compensation policy for COVID warriors, only ₹10 lakh has been disbursed to the family of Rangkesh Shirke over the past five years. An amount of ₹40 lakh remains pending, despite several representations made to the authorities. Due to continued delays and lack of funds, the families approached the High Court for justice.
Gold Rate
15April 2025
Previously, similar petitions were filed by other families of deceased civic workers, and compensation was granted in several cases. The NMC had earlier agreed that compensation was justified in such cases but argued that payments were subject to the release of funds by the state government. Without this support, the civic body expressed its inability to disburse the remaining amount.
The petitioners stated that their deceased family members were employed by the NMC and continued to serve with dedication during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, even under hazardous conditions. Their untimely deaths occurred while fulfilling their official duties.
Despite two government resolutions issued on May 29, 2020, and August 4, 2021, mandating the compensation, the NMC has yet to fully implement them, even five years later. The High Court has now granted one final chance to the civic body to respond before resuming the hearing.
