Glitch leaves 9 passengers without retiring rooms, Southern Railway to pay Rs 1.4 lakh
Compensation of Rs 1,40,000 will be given to nine travellers, who were denied accommodation in the retiring rooms of different railway stations booked in prior at the Chennai central station and receipts were issued by them.
Chennai Central Railway Station
CHENNAI: The Chennai North District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission directed the Southern Railway to pay a compensation of Rs 1,40,000 to nine travellers, who were denied accommodation in the retiring rooms of different railway stations booked in prior at the Chennai central station and receipts were issued by them.
In 2019, the complainants -- M Lakshmanan, V Ramu, S Kumaran, M Ramalingam, V Kalisekaran, N Theyagarajan, B Mahendran, C Nedunchezian, and M Suresh -- went on a tour by train in a group from Chennai Central to Agra, Nizamudin, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Ajmeer and Haridwar.
Prior to the journey, all of them made advance booking at the Chennai Central railway station and received receipts for an economic stay in retiring rooms at various railway stations during the course of their journey.
Lakshmanan and Ramu, along with two others, booked retiring rooms at Nizamudin, Amritsar and Chandigarh stations for Rs 1,400 and Rs 700; Kumaran and Ramalingam booked for Haridwar and Ajmer stations for Rs 400 and Rs 1,800; Kalaisekaran also booked for Amritsar station for Rs 250. Theyagarajan and Mahendran booked retiring rooms at Amritsar, Chandigarh and Ajmer stations for Rs 438 and Rs 350. Nedunchezian and Suresh along with others booked for Nizamudin, Amritsar, Haridwar stations for Rs 1,400, Rs 438 and Rs 480.
However, they were denied accommodation in the retiring rooms by authorities concerned at the respective railway stations. It is cited that the computer system was not showing the advance booking details and none of the officials provided them any accommodation and also failed to inform them, except Nizamuddin railway station authorities.
The complainants said they were put to severe hardships and were forced to stay at station platforms. Thus, for failure to provide accommodation in spite of advance booking, the Southern Railway is liable for gross deficiency in service and duty bound to compensate the same.
The commission headed by the president D Gopinath and member V Ramamurthy directed the Southern Railway to pay a sum of Rs 25,000 for each two complainants Lakshmanan and, Ramu, Kumaran and Ramalingam, Theyagarajan and Mahendran, Nedunchezian and Suresh and a sum of Rs 15,000 to Kalaisekaran towards the compensation for deficiency in service, mental agony pain and sufferings, monetary loss including the cost of booking charges and sum of Rs 5,000 towards litigation costs for each two people.
