Court orders KMC, DMC to pay Rs9.9 million to man who lost family in drain accident

A local court in Karachi has ordered the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) and District Municipal Corporation (DMC) Central (Shadman) to pay Rs 9.9 million in compensation to a citizen who lost his wife and infant son in a tragic drainage accident during the 2022 monsoon rains in the port city.

Senior Civil Judge Central, Zaheer Hussain Mangi, announced the verdict in the case involving the death of a woman and her two-month-old child, who drowned after the motorcycle they were riding fell into an uncovered drain in the Shadman area.

According to the judgment, KMC and DMC Central were found negligent in their duties to maintain public infrastructure and ensure citizens’ safety. 

Read: Cars swept away in drain in Saidpur after heavy rain

The accident occurred due to the gross negligence of the concerned municipal authorities, the judge stated, adding that the defendants had a legal obligation to secure the drain and sewage system, particularly during the monsoon season.

The court ordered the municipal bodies to pay a total of over Rs9.9 million in damages to the heirs of the deceased.

During the proceedings, the petitioner’s counsel, Advocate Usman Farooq, argued that during the 2022 rains, the plaintiff's family was travelling on a motorcycle when it plunged into the unguarded drain due to a lack of protective barriers.

As a result, the plaintiff’s wife and two-month-old son, Azlan, drowned. The body of the infant was never recovered.