IRCTC asked to compensate man for wrong train schedule

A consumer court has directed the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to pay a compensation of Rs 7,000 along with ticket and RTI costs to a Thane resident for his sufferings due to the rail corporation’s deficient service in giving wrong train schedule to him.

IRCTC is a subsidiary of the Indian Railways that handles catering, tourism and its online ticketing operations. Complainant Gopal Bankatlalji Bajaj, from Kamothe in Navi Mumbai, had booked his train ticket through the IRCTC portal for a reserved seat in Nagpur-Mumbai Express for travelling from Amravati to Mumbai on May 5, 2013.

He made an online payment of Rs 300, and he got the ticket with the PNR number on his mobile via an SMS from IRCTC. However, when he arrived at Amravati station at the specified time to board the train, which was scheduled to depart at 1940 hours, he was informed it was late by four-and-a-half hours. As he had to reach his office the next day, he purchased a general ticket for Rs 180.

He then travelled the entire distance with extreme difficulty in the general (unreserved) compartment of another train, the complainant stated before the Thane District consumer Redressal Forum.

The Forum recently ordered the IRCTC to pay the new ticket cost of Rs 180, and also the Rs 150 RTI cost along with 12 per cent interest from May 5, 2013, to the complainant, along with Rs 5,000 towards his mental sufferings and Rs 2,000 for legal expenses.