Sri S.K.Sahoo, President.

           This  is  a  joint  complaint filed by a group of  complainants  U/s. 12 of C.P.Act,1986.

2.       The  case of the  complainants  is that they are residing  under the  jurisdiction of  this Forum i.e. Nalco Nagar, Angul. The opp. party and  his   senior  members  used   to come  to Nalco Nagar  on various  occasions  for  development of  scheme offering  overseas tour  package in  low cost. To  induct new  members and the  development  scheme, the opp. party  had arranged a meeting at Hotel Swagat situated  at Nalco Nagar in the  month of Septem,ber,2010  All the  complainants  attended the said  meeting . As per the  scheme of the opp. party, if  any body will    become  a member by paying Rs.9,000.00  towards  registration  fee he or  she will be  a qualified member and thereafter  he/she  will only have to pay Rs.15,000.00   more  for  availing   six days and  five nights foreign  tour  to Thailand via Kolkata with free   fooding and  lodging  during the  tour. After thorough study of the  scheme  and being circulated  by the opp. party, the  complainants paid Rs.9,000.00  each  through   money transfer  from SBI, Kandasar  branch  and ICICI Bank Ltd. Angul branch  to the  account of the opp. Party and  became  a member   of the opp. party. After receipt of the  said  amount  from the  complainants the opp. party has issued  computerised receipts in token of  membership. It  was also   provided in the  scheme  that  after  becoming  a  member, of the  said  member can  sponsor four  members  and thereafter   he  /she  will be  treated a  qualified member  and  not required to pay the  amount of  Rs.15,000.00 .A  qualified  member  is to be entitled to get the  tour package within  one year  from  becoming  qualified   member. Some of the  complainants  sponsored  new  members  to  get that benefits. For the  first time in the  month of May, 2012  the opp. party had  given tour  package of  five  days and  four nights to  ten members  instead of   six  days  and  five  nights  as   promised in the  scheme. The  complainants  raised  complaint  and  claimed  for the  tour package, for  which the opp. party promised  to  give  tour package   for  twenty-five  members  in  between 28.10.2012  to 03.11.2012.The  opp. party  also  forced the  complainants  to  deposit the  differential amount of Rs.21,000.00 for  non-qualified members and  Rs.6,000.00  for  qualified  members  by  deviating the  terms and  conditions of the  scheme. The  opp. party has  adopted  unfair  trade practice  in  doing  so. The  complainants  being  eager for   a  foreign  tour   have paid the  extra amount of Rs.6,000.00  each  as per the demand of the  opp. party keeping  faith  on the  promise made by the opp. party. The  opp. party never  acted upon  on  his  promise. Hence the  complaint,

3.       Notice  was issued to the opp. party  in his  office address and  also in  his present  address through Regd. post with A.D on 27.11.2013 . Both the letters returned  to this   Forum without  service. So  the  complaints  were directed to  give  a  paper  publication in local  daily news paper   of Raipur  and  accordingly there  was  paper  publication in   Hindi Navabharat , in which  the opp. party  was  directed to appear before this Forum  on 20.03.2014  at 10.30A.M. Inspite of  such  notice published in the news  paper  the opp. party did not  turn up. Hence he  was  set exparte  vide  order dtd. 20.03.2014.

4.       It  is the  specific  case of the  complainants that the opp. party  persuaded  them  to  join in a scheme  for  foreign tour to Thailand and  arranged a  meeting in Hotel Swagat in the  month of September 2010  at Angul. It is  also the  case of the  complainants that they have attended the said   meeting and  deposited  an amount of Rs.9,000.00 each  for the  said  tour. They have filed the photo copy of the  electronic  receipts  which shows as follows:- 

          The  complaint petition was  verified by the  complainants and supported with affidavit  of  one Surendra Mohan Padhi i.e  complainant  No.1.The  fact  of  deposit  of Rs.9,000.00 by each  of the  complainant  shown in the  table  as supported by  the    copy  of  invoice  obtained  from the  computer. From the  materials  on record it is  clear that the  complainants  named in the  table  have  deposited Rs.9,000.00 each   on the  dates  mentioned in  Column No. 4(Four) The opp. party had  promised  to  give  the  tour  package to the  complainants  but did not provide the same It  amounts to deficiency in service  and  adoption of  unfair  trade practice. Hence the  complainants  shown in the  table  are  entitled  for the  return of the  amount  deposited by  them  along with  interest. The  false  promise  by the opp. party  also caused mental agony to the  complainants and they are forced to  come  for the  litigation which continue   from 2013  to till today. So the complainants  are  also entitled to  compensation for  mental agony and  entitled for litigation expenses.

5.       Hence ordered :-

: O R D E R :

          The  case be  and the  same is  allowed exparte against  opp. Party. The  opp. party is  directed to  return  the    amount  deposited by the  complainants shown in Column No.2 along with interest @ 9% per  annum from the  date of  deposits until it is  actually paid . The opp. party are further  directed  to pay each of the  complainants   an amount of Rs.3,000.00 (Rupees Three Thousand) only towards compensation for  unfair trade  practice and mental agony. The  opp. party  is  also  directed to  pay  Rs.3,000.00 (Rupees Three Thousand ) only   towards  cost  of  litigation  to the  complainants.