HYDERABAD: The District Consumer Redressal Forum-II directed South Central Railway to pay a compensation of Rs40,000 to a senior citizen over deficiency in services.

The complainant, Satya Vara Prasad (63), a resident of Khairatabad, had gone for a trip to Varanasi in May 2017. Prasad had also pre-booked his return ticket on Secunderabad Express. On for May 23, 2017, Prasad was supposed to board his train from Varanasi station. However, when he reached the station, he was told that due to a problem in the track, the train flagged off an hour before the scheduled time of departure from Mughal Sarai Railway Station, which is 12 Km away from Varanasi station.

He was also told that a notification message was sent to passengers about the change in the train’s schedule which Prasad says he never received. He filed a complainant with the consumer forum against SCR.  

Holding the  SCR guilty, the forum said, “The opposite parties failed to furnish any proof to show that they informed the complainant in advance about the change in the train schedule. The lapse amounts to sheer negligence which leads to the adoption of unfair trade practice upon their part.”

In this regard, the forum directed the SCR to pay a compensation of Rs25, 000 for their deficient and negligent act and Rs10, 000 for causing mental agony and Rs5, 000 for award cost.