(1) Where death or injury to any person (other than a workman) or damage to any property has resulted from an accident, the owner shall-be liable to give such relief as is specified in Schedule for such death, http://www.pdf.gen.in injury or damage.
(2) In any claim for relief under sub-section (I) (hereinafter referred to in this Act as claim for relief), the claimant shall not be required to plead and establish that the death, injury or damage in respect of which the claim has been made was due to any wrongful act, neglect or default of any person.
Explanation.-For the purpose of this section,-
(i) "workman" has the meaning assigned to it in the Workmen�s Compensation Act, 1923 (8 of 1923);
(ii) "injury" includes permanent total or permanent partial disability or sickness resulting out of an accident.
4 . (1) Every owner shall take out, before he starts handling any hazardous substance, one or more insurance policies providing for contracts of insurance thereby he is insured against liability to give relief under sub-section (1) of section 3;
Provided that ally owner handling any hazardous substance immediately before the commencement of this Act shall take out such insurance policy or policies as soon as may be and in any case within a period of one year from such commencement.
(2) Every owner shall get the insurance policy, referred to in subsection (1), renewed from time to time before the expiry of the period of validity thereof so that the insurance policies may remain in force throughout the period during which such handling is continued.
4[(2A) No insurance policy taken out by an owner shall be for a amount less than the amount of the paid-up capital of the under taking handling any hazardous substance and owned or controlled by that owner and more than the amount, not exceeding fifty crore rupees, as may be prescribed.
Explanation.- "Paid-up capital" in this sub-section means, in the case of an owner not being a company, the market value of all assets and stocks of the undertaking on the date of contracts of insurance.
(2B) The liability of the insurer under one insurance policy shall not exceed the amount specified in the terms of the contract of insurance in that insurance policy.
(2C) Every owner shall also, together with the amount of premium, pay to the insurer, for being credited to the Relief Fund established under section 7A, such further amount, not exceeding the amount of premium, as may be prescribed.
(2D) The insurer shall remit the further amount received from the owner under sub-section (2C) to the Relief Fund in such manner and within such period as may be prescribed and where the insurer fails to so remit the further amount, such amount shall be recoverable from insurer as arrears of land revenue or of public demand.]
(3)The Central Government may, by notification, exempt from the operation of sub-section (1) any owner, namely:-
(a) the Central Government;
(b) any State Government,
(c) any corporation owned or controlled by the Central Government or a State Government; or
(d) any local authority:
Provided that no such order shall be made in relation to such owner unless a fund has been established and is maintained by that owner in accordance with the rules made in this behalf for meeting any liability under sub-section (I) of section 3.
5. Whenever it comes to the notice of the Collector that an accident has occurred at any place within his http://www.pdf.gen.in jurisdiction, he shall verify the occurrence of such accident and cause publicity to be given in such manner as he deems fit for inviting applications under sub-section (1) of section 6