RailEnquiry

Man left stranded on station, Railways to pay Rs 36K

The Railways has been ordered by a consumer forum here to pay Rs 36,000 to a 60-year-old man for leaving him stranded on a station on a cold winter night in 2008 while making him change his berth from one coach to another of the same train.

R S Bhatnagar, a resident of East Delhi, had to spend the night of December 30, 2008, at the station despite having a confirmed AC Second Class ticket. The Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) made him get off the train at Pataudi station in Haryana saying that his berth had been upgraded to the First Class AC coach, which was located at the other end of the train.

Bhatnagar had to walk the entire length of the train to board the First Class bogey. But the train began moving, leaving him stranded on the platform all night.

“Due to misbehaviour/negligence of TTE, (despite) having confirmed ticket the complainant had to wander here and there in the severe winter cold and he had to spend the whole night unnecessarily (at a station),” the order said.

“The complainant had suffered great mental tension and harassment and he had unnecessarily incurred Rs 9,580 for an air ticket to reach Delhi without any rhyme and reason,” said New Delhi District Consumer Forum, presided by C K Chaturvedi.

The forum’s order was pronounced after Bhatnagar filed a plea, in which he alleged that he was “pressurised” by the TTE to change seats from the Second Class AC coach to the First Class AC coach for which he had to alight from the train and could not get back on as the train stopped only for a few minutes at the Pataudi station. Bhatnagar said he spent the night at the station and had to take a flight the next day to Delhi which cost him Rs 9,580.

The forum, in its ex-parte order, has asked the Railways to pay Bhatnagar Rs 11,127, as cost of the Second AC ticket along with 6 per cent interest till realisation and the air fare, in addition to Rs 25,000 as compensation for harassment.