THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Southern Railway has been directed to pay Rs 10,000 compensation each to five Mookambika-bound travellers who missed the connection train from Mangalore due to the delayed arrival of the first train.
The Thiruvananthapuram District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission also asked the railways to pay Rs 2,500 as costs. The complainants had booked tickets in the Maveli Express from Trivandrum Central Railway Station to Mangalore Central Railway Station to visit the Kollur Mookambika Temple.
The scheduled boarding date was 10.08.2017 and arrival time at 8.05 hours next day. They also booked tickets on the Mangalore-Karwar Express to travel to Byndoor Station (Mookambika Road).
The second train was scheduled to depart from Mangalore station on 11.08.2017 at 9 hours. According to the complainants, the Maveli Express reached the Mangalore Central Railway Station’s outer at 8.20 hrs but was stopped there till the connection train in which they had to travel to Byndoor railway station left the central station. The complainants alleged that the train was halted in the outer though the central station had vacant platforms.
Due to deficiency in service by the railways, the complainants said, they had to catch a bus for further journey resulting in monetary loss and mental agony.
The railways submitted that the Maveli Express reached Mangalore station at 9.08 hrs. The allegation that Mangalore- Karwar Express is a connection train for Maveli Express is factually incorrect. Hence, the latter cannot be detained at the station until the arrival of Maveli Express. The Mangalore- Karwar Express left station at scheduled time of 9 hrs.
The case was considered by a commission bench comprising its president P V Jayarajan, members Preetha G Nair and Viju V R. Advocate Ravikrishnan N R, who was among the travellers, represented the complainants.
The commission refused to accept the railways’ argument that Mangalore-Karwar Express was not a connection train because the tickets issued to the complainants were from Trivandrum to Mookambika Road. Even if the train from Mangalore Central to Mookambika is not a connection train, the complainants were not able to board the second train due to the delay in arrival of the first train.
The commission observed that the railways did not produce any evidence to explain the train’s delayed arrival at 9.08 hrs against the scheduled time of 8.05 hrs. “If the public transportation has to survive and compete with private parties, it has to improve the system and working culture ,” the order said.