In the aftermath of Saturday’s fire in a parking area of the Aero India airshow in Bengaluru (Bangalore) which gutted around 300 cars, officials have set up a special cell at the venue to expedite the processing of insurance claims.
According to The News Minute, India’s Department of Financial Services (DFS) has set up the special cell at the request of the Ministry of Defence, which organises the airshow. Owners of vehicles destroyed in the fire can approach the cell to clear insurance claims.
Aero India organisers have also set up a helpdesk to help facilitate insurance claims, and many private insurance companies have set up their own stations at the venue.
“If the claims are handled systematically, owners can get the eligible insurance amount within seven to 10 days, and the amount will be the same as what they had opted for in the insurance policy,” Lakshman, senior divisional manager at United Insurance India, told The News Minute.
However, insurers said that they will only process the claims of vehicle owners who have purchased comprehensive insurance policies.
“The insurance claim is available to only those who have availed the comprehensive motor vehicle policy, which covers the property damage,” K Shashidhar, development officer at The Oriental Insurance Company, told the Deccan Herald. “Whereas, those who have taken only the third-party insurance policy are not entitled to claim any damage for their vehicles.”
Policyholders who need duplicates of documents that were destroyed in the fire need to take a photograph of their burnt vehicle and register a complaint with the police. They then need to go to their insurer and seek their policy document for processing.
