Kodagu homestay asked to pay Rs 37.5 lakh to family of woman who died due to geyser leak

www.mangaloretoday.com

Kodagu, Feb 4, 2024: A consumer court recently ordered a homestay owner in the Kodagu district to pay Rs 37.50 lakh to a 55-year-old man after his daughter died inhaling carbon monoxide emitted from a geyser in the property in 2021.

Eshwaran, a resident of Mumbai, approached the Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission after the death of his daughter, Vigneshwari Eshwaran, an MBA graduate who worked in a private firm in Mumbai. A case was filed against Shaikh Mohammed Ibrahim, owner of the Coorg Valley homestay in Madikeri, and Mukthar Ahmed and Pandiyan, the managing directors. On January 22, the commission chairman (in-charge) C Renukamba and member Gowrammanni ordered them to pay the penalty for negligence.

According to the case, In October 2021, Vigneshwari and her friends Madhushri, Akshata, Surabhi and Kashish decided to go to Madikeri to witness Dasara. Madhushri booked the Coorg Valley homestay from October 23 to 25 and paid Rs 1,000 in advance. On October 24, after visiting Dubare and Kushalnagar, Vigneshwari and her friends returned to the homestay around 8.15 pm, as per the case.

Vigneshwari reportedly entered the washroom to bathe around 8.30 pm but never came out. Sensing something suspicious, her friends knocked on the door but there was no response. With the help of the staff, they broke open the door and admitted her to a nearby hospital, where the doctors declared her dead.