Mercedes Benz Owner Wants Municipality To Pay Him 21 Lakh For Water-Logging Damage Caused To SUV
A lot of times, when a vehicle is driven through a waterlogged road, it breaks down in the middle. This happens due to the engine getting seized and other electrical problems. Unfortunately, this recently happened with a Mercedes-Benz GLA owner from Ghaziabad. As a result of this, he got a repair estimate of Rs 16 lakh. It has now been reported that, frustrated with the situation, he has sent a legal notice to the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation for full compensation of the repair cost and additional compensation for mental harassment.
Waterlogged road caused Mercedes to break down
According to reports, on July 23, Amit Kishore, a businessman and social worker, was driving in his red-colored Mercedes-Benz GLA luxury SUV. He was traveling from his residence in Vasundhara to Lajpat Nagar when his car broke down in the middle of a road at Shyam Park Extension, Ghaziabad. As for the main cause of the vehicle breakdown, it was due to the waterlogging of the road caused by heavy rainfall.
Following the breakdown of the Mercedes-Benz SUV, Kishore had to call a tow van to transport his vehicle from Shyam Park Extension to a service center in Noida. As per the owner, the repair estimate of his SUV is around Rs 16 lakh. Frustrated with the situation, the owner has now sent a legal notice to the Ghaziabad Municipal Commissioner, Vikramaditya Malik.
Legal notice to municipality
In his notice, Kishore has demanded full compensation for the repair cost of his Mercedes-Benz GLA, which is Rs 16 lakh. On top of it, he has asked for compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the mental harassment he had to endure. He has alleged that the negligence of cleaning drains and lack of preparation for the heavy rainfall in the peak monsoon season by the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation has caused the damage to his car.
He added that the municipal corporation allowing illegal encroachment on public drains and lands meant for water drainage were the major contributors to the waterlogging of the roads. He also alleged that there is a failure to act on citizen complaints about waterlogging and poor drainage by the municipality of Ghaziabad.
Kishore, in his legal notice, has also highlighted that if no reply is given to his notice within 15 days, he will file a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) in the high court. He added that he will also approach the Lokayukta for a corruption probe and also file a civil claim for damages.
Mercedes owner Kishore stated, “I have sent a legal notice to the municipal commissioner to compensate me for the repair and also for the mental harassment I suffered on the road as I was stuck for about four hours.” Kishore also stated, “It was not only me who suffered. There is a hospital near the spot, and patients and ambulances were also facing issues due to waterlogging.”
Ghaziabad Municipal Commissioner’s statement
Vikramaditya Malik, Municipal Commissioner, Ghaziabad, stated, “The photo of the vehicle shown by Shri Amit Kishore in his complaint, which has a Delhi number, clearly shows that there is no water even on the tyres. It has not been certified by any expert that the vehicle has broken down due to rainwater logging. No other such case has been reported in the city.”