By News18
In a landmark ruling, the District Consumer Forum in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, has declared that Indian Railways has to provide clear and timely information to passengers regarding train movements at stations. Failing to do so constitutes a deficiency in service under the Consumer Protection Act.
The forum ordered officials of Ghaziabad railway station and Northern Railway to compensate a passenger, Anubhav Prajapati, with Rs 7,000 after he and his family missed their train due to incorrect announcements and a lack of updates. The compensation is to be paid within 45 days.
What Happened To Anubhav Prajapati?
Anubhav Prajapati, a resident of Muradnagar, had booked tickets for his family to travel to Jhansi aboard the Chhattisgarh Express on February 29, 2024. The train was scheduled to depart from Ghaziabad at 3:20 pm. The family arrived early and waited in the first-class waiting room.
A station announcement later informed passengers that the train would be delayed by 40 minutes. Based on this, the family proceeded to platform 3 at 3:25 pm, expecting the train to arrive there.
However, they found the Ayodhya Express on that platform and no indication of the Chhattisgarh Express. Attempts to reach the station master failed, as the office was shut. Anubhav Prajapati even tweeted railway authorities at 5:21 am, receiving no reply.
At around 6 am, he discovered the Chhattisgarh Express had quietly departed from platform 2 while they were waiting elsewhere.
Indian Railways’ Defence Falls Flat
The Indian railways did not submit any formal response to the forum. Their lawyer argued that the train hadn’t been delayed by over three hours and thus no refund was applicable. But the consumer forum disagreed.
In its statement, the forum noted that no proof had been submitted by the Indian railways to show that announcements were made or that the platform change was communicated. It ruled this failure as mental harassment caused by service negligence.
The forum directed the station superintendent, station master, divisional railway manager, and the general manager of Northern Railway to jointly pay the compensation.