India, Nov. 25 -- The Bombay High Court on Monday questioned why the district-level committees directed to compensate victims of pothole-related deaths were not acting as told.

A division-bench of justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Sandesh Patil was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking to make urban local authorities and contractors liable for compensation to victims of pothole-related deaths and injuries. The PIL said that these accidents and deaths were caused by ill-maintained roads that civic bodies are responsible for.

Last month, the court had directed urban and rural civic bodies to form committees and determine cases where victims were eligible for compensation of up to Rs.6 lakh for deaths and up to Rs.25,000 for inj...