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Earlier this week, the Additional District Consumer Disputed Redressal Commission in Thane ordered SBI General Insurance Ltd to pay the claim amount of Rs 30 lacs to a complainant for damages to his flat due to a slab collapse. The commission has given the general insurance company a period of 45 days from the release of the order to clear the dues, failing which a 9 percent per annum fine will be liable to be paid upon realisation in addition to Rs 30 lacs. The order was passed on 20 January 2023.
The complainant is Mr Deepak Golikar, is a resident of Koparkhairne, Navi Mumbai. In August 2019, he purchased a flat in Koparkhairane by availing a loan of Rs 46 lacs from State Bank of India (SBI). At the time, the bank officals suggested he take on a house insurance policy along with the loan. They told him the housing policy would protect him against any damage or destruction to the flat due to natural or manmade disasters. As a result, Mr Golikar took a housing policy from SBI General Insurance Ltd for a sum of Rs 30 lacs for a period of 10 years beginning from August 2019.
In December 2020, a slab collapsed in the building where the complainant lived, causing extensive damage to his flat and resulting in it becoming temporarily inhabitable. A survey report declared that the slab had collapsed due to use of inferior quality of building material. However, upon filing for his insurance claim the company rejected his application on certain grounds.
Considering the evidence presented, the commission did not find sufficient grounds to retract the insurance claims and therefore ordered the insurer to pay the claim without further delay. The commission rejected the insurer’s reasoning, stating that before issuing a policy, it is the responsibility of the insurance company to carefully verify all documents and assess the life of the structure. The commission also ordered the insurer to pay a sum of Rs 50,000 to the complainant for expenses incurred for litigation proceedings.
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