DISTRICT CONSUMER DISPUTES REDRESSAL COMMISSION PALAKKAD
Dated this the 18th day of April, 2022
Present : Sri.Vinay Menon V., President
: Smt.Vidya.A., Member
: Sri. Krishnankutty.N.K.,Member
Date of filing: 13/05/2019
CC/157/2019
Sujesh Pullanikkat - Complainant
S/o Sudhakaran.C,
Sujay, Kinavallur Post,
Parali,Palakkad- 678 612.
(By Party in Person)
Vs
1. The Divisional Railway Manager,
Southern Railway,
Divisional Railway Office,
Kallekulangara,Olavakkode,
Palakkad-678 002.
2. The General Manager, - Opposite Parties
Southern Railway,
Chennai- Thiruttani-Renigunta Highway,
NGO Annexe,George Town,
Chennai,Tamilnadu- 600 003.
(By Adv. S.T. Suresh)
O R D E R
By Sri.Krishnankutty.N.K., Member
1. The complainant had booked a second class sleeper ticket for his travel on 29/11/2019 from Palakkad to Chennai. The PNR number of the ticket was 4254443723 and Berth allotted was in Coach No.S3.
2. The allegation of the complainant is that due to the non working of the electronic display boards in Palakkad Railway Station, he was not able to locate the S3 Coach on arrival of the train and had to board a coach which was 7 Coaches away from Coach S3. He had to walk through the compartments with heavy luggage from the boarded Coach to the reserved Coach S3 causing much hardship to him.
3. The opposite parties (1) & (2) filed their version on 30/07/2019 denying the allegation and admitting that the functional LED Display system was temporarily out of order and the same has been entrusted to the contractor for repair. However, the following additional facilities are provided by Railways for assisting the passengers to locate their train, platform and the Coach Position.
(a) LED digital Display Boards depicting train No,Name,Destination and platform number was provided at several locations in Palakkad station.
(b) Numerical Coach position from engine is displayed at all platforms of Palakkad Junction Railway station at appropriate locations, for passengers to locate their coaches easily.
(c) Coach positions from engine are announced sufficiently before the arrival of each train. There are repeated announcements in Hindi, English & Malayalam, and are sufficiently audible at all platforms and is made immediately before and after the actual arrival alert of each and every train, regarding platform number, train number, destination, route etc.
(d) As an additional facility, enquiry counter is available near the ticket counter. Display Board having details of coach position from engine and coach numbers for the next arriving trains is maintained infront of the Information Centre. Passengers can also enquire with the on duty staff at the Information Centre.
4. During the cross examination of the complainant by the Counsel for opposite parties also, the complainant reiterated his allegation that no display board was available on the platform. But he pleaded ignorance about the other facilities provided at the station in order to provide the coach position information to passengers.
5. Further the complainant has stated that he reached the station well ahead of the departure time. Hence he should have utilised the other facilities provided by Railways to find out the Coach position or atleast ought to have contacted the Information Centre at the entrance. Hence it is evident that the complainant has not utilized the facilities provided by the opposite party other than the LED display system to find the coach position of the train.
6. IA.164/2020 filed by the complainant for cross examination of the opposite parties was allowed on 27/10/2021. The complainant was continuously absent for subsequent sittings. Hence it was decided to take-up the case for orders on merit.
7. Crux of this case is as to the presence or absence of assistance provided to passengers by the opposite party. The opposite party had detailed the assistances provided by it to passengers. The complainant failed to prove his case that there was no LED digital display at all in the Railway station. Mere temporary non functioning will not be a deficiency in service if the opposite parties had taken timely curative steps. Hence we hold that there is no deficiency in service on the part of the opposite parties.
Due to the aforesaid reason the complaint is dismissed.
Pronounced in the open court on this the 18th day of April 2022.
Vinay Menon V
President
Vidya.A
Member
Krishnankutty.N.K
Member
