KOCHI: The Ernakulam District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has ordered the managing director of Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) to pay a compensation of Rs 16,000 for not providing facilities for a passenger to board the flight without getting drenched during a rainy day.
The complainant alleged that he got drenched as there was no rain shelter to board the flight. He sat the whole flight in wet clothes and, on reaching New Delhi, was bedridden for three days due to a fever.
The Bench comprising D B Binu, the president, and the members V Ramachandran and Sreevidhya T N issued the order on the petition filed by T G N Kumar of Vennala, Kochi, seeking Rs 1 lakh as compensation.
The CIAL MD submitted that though the complainant claimed he is a frequent flier from CIAL, he has not produced any documents to substantiate his claim. He had also not indicated the details of the journey, including the airline.
The allegation that there is no aerobridge at the domestic terminal at Kochi airport is to mislead the court, the MD said.
The Bench said that it is generally seen that even huge profit-making entities are indifferent in their attitude towards consumers in the protection of their rights. “We cannot be mute spectators when consumers approach commissions like these for the redressal of their grievances which cannot be raised elsewhere,” said the court.
The Bench ordered CIAL to pay Rs 8,000 to the complainant as compensation for the physical discomfort, mental agony, etc., and Rs 8,000 for the cost of the proceedings.