Tamil Nadu - Chennai   

Corporation pulled up for not plying bus on permitted route

By K.T. Sangameswaran

CHENNAI, SEPT. 19. Operating a bus on a route other than the permitted one, causing hardship to the travelling public is deficiency in service, the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has said. The Commission gave the finding while disposing an appeal by a resident of Chithode in Erode who said he was put to hardship while he was on his way to the Government Headquarters Hospital, Erode, in December 1997, because the bus in which he travelled did not ply on the permitted route.

It directed the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (Coimbatore division II), Erode, to pay a compensation of Rs.500 along with costs of Rs.150 to K. Shanmugham.

Mr. Shanmugham submitted that as the bus, plying from Bhavani to Erode, went on a different route, he had to walk nearly a kilometre to reach the hospital.

In their order, the Commission president, Justice A. Raman and member, R.Vanaroja, said deviation by the bus from the authorised route was an admitted fact.

Making a person walk, who had to go to the hospital, would cause physical and mental hardship.

The transport corporation did not produce any order from either the Superintendent of Police or from the Transport Department any notification or direction requiring them to ply the bus on a different route. In the absence of production of such an order and a notice to the public to that effect, the case of the transport corporation could not be accepted.

"Thus, we find that admittedly the bus was not plied on the route authorised with the result the passenger underwent some hardship and thus there is deficiency in service", the Bench said.

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