‘Settle claim as per surveyor’s estimate’, says Telangana Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission

 HYDERABAD: IN a stern rap to an insurance company which maintained that the report of a surveyor giving an estimate of the damages was not a ‘reliable document’ for a claim, the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed the company to pay Rs 84 lakh towards the outstanding insurance claim. The insurance company had paid Rs 1.6 crore towards the claim as full and final payment instead of the Rs 2.25 crore.

The commission, in a relief to the petitioner, found fault with the insurance company and directed it to pay the remaining amount along with 9 per cent interest. Deepak Translogics, a textile consignment transport firm, acts as a one-stop service point for transporting textile bales to merchants across the Telugu-speaking states. It suffered a major fire accident in its godown at Vizianagaram in April 2013. Deepak Translogics was insured with United India Insurance Company whose surveyor estimated the loss at Rs 2.25 crore but the insurance company agreed to pay only Rs 1.60 crore. But the transport company moved the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission for justice.

The insurance company questioned the petitioner for having accepted the revised claim amount of Rs 1.6 crore, stating that if he was not satisfied then, he should have rejected it in the first place. The petitioner informed that he agreed to the revised amount as he was facing flak from the merchants association for the delay in transporting the goods. Repeated queries raised with the insurance company with respect to the due amount elicited no response, he said.