The Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has held Western Railway responsible for loss of baggage of a senior couple and ordered it to pay compensation of Rs 30,000 within two months. Senior advocate Basanti Lal Pavecha, 77, son of late Fakir Chand, was travelling from Indore to Ahmadabad with his 72-year-old wife Chitra Pavecha. Residents of South Tukoganj had hoped to have a comf ortable ride, having booked AC coach with confirmed seats on Oct 19, 2015.
As the lights dimmed and everyone fell asleep, the couple went to sleep. The train stopped at Ahmadabad at 9 am when couple could not find their suitcases. They were carrying two suitcases filled with clothes, medicines and prescriptions from Indore, Delhi and Chennai. Failing to find the suitcase, the plaintiff approached Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) MR Kataria who said suitcases might have been stolen on the way. It was noted that some anti-social elements boarded the train from Dahod and probably got down at Godhra railway station stealing bags.
The plaintiff registered a complaint with SP Western Railway Vadodara. After inspection, the complaint was found to be true. The inspection report was sent to Additional Metropolitan Magistrate for further action. The plaintiff’s plea was taken up by Consumer Forum Indore and demands were considered. The plaintiff claimed the value of two stolen suitcases at Rs 50,000. Further, plaintiff demanded Rs 1.5 lakh for mental harassment caused to them.
After hearing both the sides, president Om Prakash Sharma and member Atul Jain ordered railways to compensate Rs 5,000 for suitcases. Further, railway has b een asked to compensate Rs 10,000 for plaintiff’s clothes and belongings. Railway will also be required to compensate Rs 5,000 for mental harassment caused along with settling processing fee of court at Rs 2,000. In case, railway does not pay the compensation in the next two months, 9 per cent per annum interest will be charged to the defended.
