Travellers, here are your rights.
No need to resign to the fate.
Despite all precautions,we face some sort of inconvenience during our travelling, be it by bus or by train. Most of us prefer to bear the inconveniences silently. We are are paying Railways and the Bus travelling corporations. It's our right to get the value of our money. There is absolutely no need to resign to the fate. There are many platforms where in one can lodge a complaint and demand for the compensation due to organizational lapses.
Woes of the bus travellers
Punctuality takes a back seat. Even if the bus comes on right time by accident, it will not stop in the stand allocated to it. Either it stops away from the bus stand or somewhere where it's not supposed to stop. Even if, the bus stops at it's stand for a change, we will be panicked to see the travellers hanging on the foot board.. If it's one of your lucky days when somehow you enter the bus, surely, it's going to stop somewhere on your way which is neither your destination nor your point where you boarded. And it's a never ending list.
Thanks to the Consumer protection act.
The awareness in the consumers about their rights and the ways to counteract such inconveniences in order to get get full value for their money has grown. With the advent of Consumer protection act consumer realized that he need not be at the mercy of the organisation or the unscrupulous trader.
Consumer Protection Act has been introduced in India in the year 1986. In order to solve Consumer problems the government has set up Consumer courts in all the district head quarters State capitals and National consumer courts.
Advantage Consumer.
An aggrieved consumer need not pay fees to the court. A consumer who seeks redressal can lodge a complaint personally or by registered post to the concerned consumer court.
Success Stories.
Here are some success stories of consumers, who exercised their consumer rights and shown and proved that consumer is the king.
A woman with her kid from Madurai was travelling by a bus owned by Tiruvalluvar Transport corporation of Tamil nadu . The bus owing to a technical snag stopped midway, forcing her to get down from the bus along with her kid who faced many problems. But unlike other passengers she did not accept the careless and irresponsible behaviour of the transport company, but she lodged a complaint in the Consumer forum of Madurai. The forum ordered the transport company to pay Rs. 300 to the aggrieved for causing inconvenience to the passenger.
The distance between Nalgonda and Bhuvanagiri in AP is 78 km.But the conductor charged the fare for a distance of 86 km.. The passenger filed a case in the consumer forum of Nalgonda.
The Road transport company said that it's due to a mistake of the person who prepared the 'Charge Chart.' The forum ordered the road transport corporation to pay the passenger additional charges of Rs. 1.75 collected and and an extra Rs. 25 as a compensation.
Another passenger who was traveling from Vizag to Vizianagaram in AP, because of dis functioning of the window shutters, the passenger was fully drenched by the rain. Though an extra charge was collected from the passenger because it was a deluxe bus, the bus is not equipped to proper window shutters . In addition to this, the transport authorities said that the bus is fast bus and it will reach the destination in an hour. But it took more than 1 hr and 45 minutes to reach the destination. On receiving the complaint from the passenger, the forum ordered the transport department to pay the passenger Rs. 100 as a compensation and another 100 Rupees towards expenses.
A honey mooning couple went to Bangalore and planned to go from Bangalore to Ooty and return ticket to Ooty was purchased purchased for a luxury coach equipped with video. But the private traveling agency provided a Swaraj Mazda. As if this is not enough the couple were provided most uncomfortable seats. The couple lodged a complaint at the Karnataka state consumer disputes redressal forum. The forum ordered the private traveling company to pay the couple Rs. 2000 as a compensation.
Here is another interesting happening that generally happens but no body will care this irregularity and complain to the consumer forums.
A law student of Kerala during his journey from Ernakulam to Tiruvanantapuram gave Rs 50 towards bus fare too the conductor. The fare was Rs 30. As there was no change with the bus conductor the conductor has written on the backside of the ticket as Rs. 20 due and asked the passenger to collect the balance of Rs. 20 when the passenger reaches his destination.
On reaching the destination, when the passenger asked the conductor to pay him the balance, the conductor not only refused to pay the balance but abused and insulted the passenger .
The infuriated passenger lodged a complaint in the consumer forum The forum ordered the Kerala state road transport commission was asked to pay the passenger Rs.60.
Lack of amenities
Long distance buses will not provide the facilities like toilets. Passengers have to wait for bus station , where these facilities are available. If you are traveling alone, in order to avail the toilet facilities in bus station on the way,you have to leave the luggage in the bus for which there is no safety is guaranteed by the transport companies.
In a case where such incident happened, a transport company had to pay a high compensation to a passenger who was traveling from Tirupati to Vijayawada. When the bus reached Ongole bus station, the passenger went to a toilet . While getting down, the passenger informed the driver that he was going to the toilet and he would be back in 5 minutes.
When the passenger returned back to his utter astonishment , he found the bus already left. The passenger lodged a complaint with the depot manager of Ongole bus station and another complaint to the consumer forum .
The forum gave a verdict that such lapse comes under the head "Deficiency in service.". The forum specifically said even though the driver was informed, the bus left leaving the passenger to his fate. This amounts to deficiency in services. Hence the forum ordered the transport authorities to pay the passenger an amount of Rs. 3200 as a compensation. Additionally the forum ordered to pay the passenger an amount of Rs. 200 cowards expenses. The transport company appealed to the Higher commission. Finally the commission gave the verdict that the passenger should be paid Rs.1000 as there was no proof to estimate the value of the luggage.
Bus accidents and compensations.
There is an alarming rise in the frequency of bus accidents and burglaries , especially in the night traveling buses. There are plenty of people who express their grief after a bus accident. But no one is taking effective measures to control the accidents.
Besides compensation for deficiency in services, irresponsible attitude intone us services, we can get suitable compensation for property loss in a bus accident or bus robberies.
Train journeys.
Many of us are not aware of facilities and provisions available in trains and how to avail them. The general practice prevailing in most of us is we ignore proper planning before the journey. We rush to the railway station in the last moment, and grease the palms of the conductor To get reserved seat.
Here are your facilities
Under the provisions of RAC,reservation against cancellation,the traveller is entitled to has eat seat for sitting.Any traveller with reservation fails to turn up or any traveller with reservation cancels his journey in the last moment, RAC traveller will be allotted the cancelled berths.
If you reserved a ticket for a particular date ,and due to some unavoidable reasons, the journey date is postponed, you need not cancel the ticket. You can change the date of journey on the same ticket which you reserved earlier.
A reserved seat can changed to berth. A lower lass ticket can converted tosh lighter class by paying the extra amount.
If one of the members in a group reservation,drops his journey In the last moment and if another person is required to travel in the place of the dropped person, to change the names of the persons, one can get help either from the station superintendent or stationmaster.
Refunds.
You can cancel your unreserved ticket and get back the fare with a deduction if it's cancelled within 3 hours of the departure of the train. for reserved tickets, you can cancel the tickets within 6 hours of the train's departure.
The cancellation charges will be varying depending on the class of reservation and how earlier the cancellation was done.
If you seek refund 6 hours after train's departure, you can write to the chief commercial superintendent (Refunds). If you discontinue your journey before your destination, your ticket should be returned back to the station master of the station where you got down. Obtain the ticket deposit receipt and send it to chief commercial superintendent (Refunds) to get back your money for the distance not covered.
Concessions.
Indian Railways offer concessions in the train fare to certain categories.
Sportsmen who represent the State or the tournaments recognised by the Education board;those students below 25 years of age; Scouts and Guides;Research scholars are eligible for concession in the fares according to the existing rates. They vary from time to time.
Persons having tuberculosis , cancer, non- infectious leprosy are eligible for concessions for going to the treatment and coming from the treatment according to the existing concession rates.
Blind and handicapped people are eligible for concessions for travelling in first and second class. One person who is accopanying will get concession according to the existing rates of concession.
Senior citizens travelling more than 500 km are eligible for concession in second class.
Arjun awardees and Shram veer awardees. teachers who were awarded National award, Deaf and dumb are eligible for concessions..
The details of the concession rates for different categories can be had from the nearest station masters.
What if your luggage is lost or robbed.
While you are travelling, if your luggage is lost, misplaced or robbed, you van lodge a complaint through a prescribed form available with train conductor or coach attendant or the guard. After filling the prescribed form return it to the person from whom you have taken the form. One of them will make the arrangements to lodge a complaint with the police. The traveller can continue his journey.
Different types of complaints - Different avenues.
A traveller during a train journey is likely to face different inconveniences. It should be known that in all the railway stations complaint books are available with the station master or with the station superintendent. If a traveller faces inconvenience like reservation, deficiency in catering services, absence of minimum amenities in the compartments like water, cleanliness, disturbances from unauthorised passengers, nuisance created by other passengers etc , the complaint book available with the train guard can be utilised. The other alternative place where the complaint book is available is the station master or station superintendent.
If there is no response from the above avenues, one can lodge a complaint to the related Divisional manager.
If the traveller is subjected to unruly behaviour of the Railway staff. or demanding bribes, a complaint can be lodged with the Vigilance organisation of the zonal railway. Details like time, place, date and the details of the train are to be provided in the complaint.
Take the initiative - Help yourself, help others.
Don't ne a silent spectator. Point out the lapses if you find in the system . By pointing the lapses in the system, you are not only helping yourself, but helping others. Many people prefer to remain silent and suffer instead of making a complaint. It may be due to shyness or may be due to their nature of being indifferent.
The very purpose of a complaint is to improve the lapses in the system. Those who used the provision of Complaint system helped themselves, others and the institution concerned. Railways complemented many consumers for helping them in rectifying the system so that they cn better quality services to the Passengers.
The Chennai consumers association suggested the Railway catering system to provide water packed in sachets along with the curd bath. The suggestion was liked by the State consumer commission and ordered the railways to supply water in Sachets along with the curd bath.
Another complaint lodged by a passenger travelling in First class compartment that the police dogs should not be allowed in to first class compartments was found to be justified by the National commission and ordered the Railways to accommodate the police dogs in a compartment like Guard van that is separated from other compartments.
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