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A consumer court directed Indian Railways to pay Rs 30,000 to the Vizag passenger who faced discomfort on his journey from Tirupati to Duvvada.
A district consumer commission has ordered Indian Railways to compensate a passenger with Rs 30,000 after he faced discomfort on his journey from from Tirupati to Duvvada in Vizag. The South Central Railway (SCR) was directed to pay Rs 25,000 to the 55-year-old man for the physical and mental stress due to the lack of basic amenities, along with an additional Rs 5,000 to cover legal costs.
What has happened on the train journey?
V Murthy had booked four 3AC tickets for himself and his family from Tirupati to Duvvada on the Tirumala express train. They were initially assigned berths in the B-7 coach; however, Murthy later received a message stating that their accommodation had been changed from 3A to 3E, as reported by the Times of India (TOI).
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On June 5, 2023, Murthy and his family boarded the train at Tirupati railway station. During their journey, when they went to use the toilet, there was no water. Additionally, the coach’s AC wasn’t working properly and the entire coach was dirty. Murthy reported these issues to the concerned office in Duvvada, but no action was taken in response.
Railways’ response to the complaint
The railways claimed that Murthy’s complaint was based on false allegations intended to secure money at the expense of the public exchequer. They argued that he and his family completed their journey safely, using the services provided by the railways, the outlet further reported.
What did the commission say?
The bench of District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-I (Visakhapatnam) said that railways is obligated to ensure basic amenities like functional toilets and a working AC since they collected tickets and promised a comfortable journey to the passengers, TOI reported.
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The commission noted that railways had acknowledged Murthy’s complaint by deploying staff to address the toilet’s water issue, which stemmed from an airlock caused by a technical defect. The commission further said that the train was running without even checking the basic amenities.