HYDERABAD: The State Consumer Redressal Commission ordered a travel agency to pay compensation of Rs 3.4 lakh to seven senior citizens whose dream to undertake the ‘Ramayana Yatra’ in Sri Lanka was shelved due to the ‘inhuman attitude’ of the agency.
The incident took place last year in February when Chanduri Sukanya and six other friends and relatives decided to go for the holy trip after receiving an attractive offer from Mallikarjuna Tours and Travels. All of them are aged over 60 years. The deal from the agency was to guide the elderly from Hyderabad to Chennai, and from there to Sri Lanka through airways, and assist them until the end of the tour.
But, on February 24, 2017, when the group reached Rajiv Gandhi International Airport to board the flight, the group was shocked to know that Chanduri Sukanya would have to travel alone to Chennai as the agency booked two sets of tickets - one for the Sukanya and the other for the rest.
Despite this, the 72-year-old went to Chennai without any assistance whatsoever, but after reaching Chennai from where the regrouped members had to take another flight to Sri Lanka, they came to know that the agency had not booked the tickets.
Hearing the case without any representation from the travel agency, the commission observed that “ due to the inhuman attitude of the opposite party (travel agency), the complainants underwent physical strain, hardship, mental agony and financial loss.”
Payback time
The commission observed that there has been a deficiency of services and unfair trade practices taken up by the travel agency. It ordered it to pay back the complainants Rs 2.9 lakh at nine per cent per annum, esides directing the agency to pay Rs 25,000 towards compensation, punitive damages, and court costs.