The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Visakhapatnam News : Travel agency asked to pay compensation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 19, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Travel agency asked to pay compensation

By B. Prabhakara Sarma

VISAKHAPATNAM: A travel agency has been directed by the Visakhapatnam District Consumer Forum to pay Rs.3,500 as compensation, for deficiency in service.

Attracted by the publicity given by Sri Ethiraj Travel Service in Dondaparthi for a 15-day pilgrimage to Tirupati and various other places, a resident of Kancharapalem, Alla Janardhana Rao, booked three-and-a-half tickets for himself and his family members. He had paid Rs.21,000 in all and the travel agency assured him the charges were inclusive of food and other facilities.

Taken for a ride

The tour started on May 14 last year from Visakhapatnam by Coromandel Express. However, the travel agency failed to provide required facilities to the consumers who were forced to spend money for their food on two days. There was no guide engaged by the agency which also left the consumer along with his family members and some other co-tourists at Tirupati to their fate, and they had to return to Visakhapatnam paying for the return fare. Upset over this, the consumer filed a complaint (Consumer Dispute No: 907/2004) in the Forum against Sri Ethiraj Travel Service, represented by R.V. Ramana in the city, seeking Rs.50,000 towards damages and Rs.1,000 as costs of the complaint.

The opposite party remained absent and did not contest the case. The Forum President, C. Rambabu, and its Members, D. Suseela and G. Viswanatha Reddy, in their recent verdict, observed that though the allegations of the consumer remained unchallenged, the latter should establish the inconvenience to which he was subjected to during the tour. Except making a categorical statement that the opposite party had not covered all the centres it had promised, the consumer was not definite as to which place was omitted and what steps were taken, they noted.

Verdict

A mere silence by the opposite party would not establish the consumer's claim and the latter must be able to establish his case positively, they felt.

However, in the light of the third party affidavits who claimed to be co-tourists along with the consumer, the Forum did accept that there was some inconvenience caused and there might be an occasion for not providing proper facilities. In the result, the Forum directed the opposite party to pay Rs.3,500 towards compensation for the inconvenience and mental agony caused to the consumer and his family members, within two months.

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