Call to regulate death compo demands

By JAMES APA GUMUNO
THE president of the Nipa Basin local level government in Southern Highlands is calling on the national government to pass a law to regulate compensation demands on fatal road accidents.
President David Navur said yesterday that excessive compensation demands were affecting the rural people who were struggling financially to keep up with the increasing prices of goods, services and school fees.
Navur said some PMV operators or vehicle owners did not have substantial amounts of money that were being demanded through compensation for victims or relatives of those involved in accidents.
He said this when people from Kware council ward 2 paid K160,000 cash and 160 live pigs as compensation last Sunday to the relatives of late Const Dominic Somom from Kware ward 1 in the Nipa Basin area.
Somom was killed in a traffic accident at Semin village outside Nipa station on Jan 28 and the vehicle that was involved was believed to have been driven by the son of a senior provincial official.
Navur said the people from Kware ward 2 showed remorse and paid the amount to their neighbouring tribesmen.
He said all the 39 councillors in the Nipa Basin contributed towards the compensation including people from Kware ward 1 living in other provinces.
He said it was the biggest compensation payment in the province.
Navur appealed to his people to make this as a first and last payment for such demands in the district.
He said the government needed to pass a law to determine an amount limit of compensation money for people killed or sustaining injuries.
He said excessive compensation demand practices by people in the highlands region were putting too much pressure on PMV and vehicle owners and their tribesmen.
Navur said that majority of the people in the rural areas were living below the poverty line.