In yet another heartening case, consumer forum has come to the rescue of an aggrieved who lost her belongings worth ₹43,000 in a volvo bus due to faulty services and negligence of the state transport department.
These included a laptop worth ₹43,789, chargers (mobile and laptop) worth ₹5,000, an earphone worth ₹2,800, a connecting lead worth ₹500, and a laptop bag worth ₹2,000.
Following this, the Panchkula resident had filed a complaint.
What had happened?
Highlights of the case are as follows:
- The complainant was travelling on the bus (HR-55-S_4605) on December 27, 2018, from Delhi Airport to Chandigarh.
- The bus came to a halt for a few minutes at ISBT Kashmiri Gate. Rana informed the conductor and the bus driver and got down for using a washroom.
- On her return, she found valuables missing.
- Rana reported the same to the conductor and driver. They expressed their inability to find her belongings.
- She requested CCTV footage of the incident. But, they said that the cameras were not operational for the past three months.
- She filed a complaint at Kashmiri Gate Police Station, Delhi. Further, the matter was put in front of the Department of Haryana Transport. However, no action was taken.
- Later, Rana filed a case with the forum. But, it was dismissed by the bench.
- She filed another appeal of the forum’s orders to the state commission on October 1, 2019.
Haryana State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission Judgment
The commission, in its judgment, held the Department of Haryana Transport liable for the following:
- Faulty in rendering services.
- Inappropriate maintenance of CCTV cameras in the bus stand and bus where the theft took place.
- Penalty worth ₹50,000 to the complainant including ₹40,000 for the loss of goods and ₹10,000 as litigation expenses.
Previous Cases
This is not just one case. Recently, the Chandigarh Consumers Forum has been cautious and proactive as they fined stores and brands for charging for carry bags.
The forum had penalized Pantaloons, Big Bazaar and Lifestyle, all in Industrial Area, Chandigarh, in different cases. Bata India Limited was also told to pay ₹9,000 for compelling a customer to pay for a paper bag. The store has been directed to provide free paper bags to its customers.
These instances give a ray of hope to consumers that your grievances are being given serious heed by the forums if you raise concern. If you too have been cheated against unfair trade practices or unscrupulous exploitation, you must take the help of the consumer forum for a fair settlement.
News Source: The Indian Express
Image Source: Google Images
