Indian Railways to pay passenger Rs. 30,000 over dirty toilets
The Delhi District Consumer Commission has ordered Indian Railways to pay a passenger Rs. 30,000 in compensation for the physical and mental distress caused by filthy toilets and lack of water during his journey. The commission found that the railways failed to provide basic amenities as outlined in the "Citizen's Charter," resulting in deficient services. Advocate Manan Agarwal argued that passengers who pay full ticket prices still suffer from a lack of basic needs on long train journeys.
Why does this story matter?
For years, railways has been battling complaints from passengers for dearth of ammenties or sub-standard services. In this case, the passenger said that he couldn't use the toilet, which caused him emotional and physical distress. The problem was exacerbated when he suffered a severe headache, forcing him to take time off from work. The distressed passenger claimed that the wash basin was also choked with filth and dirt, and he couldn't wash his hands.
Indian Railways argued that toilet doesn't fall in 'services' category
The passenger was traveling on a 3AC ticket from New Delhi to Indore on September 3, 2021. However, he discovered the toilets were filled with filth, and no water was available for flushing or washing hands. He filed a complaint with images on the official online portal of Indian Railways, "Rail Madad," and tweeted about the issue. The railways countered the allegations, claiming that the service (toilet) does not fall under "service" as defined under the Consumer Protection Act 2019.
Commission's decision and compensation details
The commission rejected Indian Railways' defense, stating that toilets and water are essential amenities that cannot be denied to passengers. The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission-I (North District) bench directed Indian Railways to pay Rs. 30,000 as compensation for physical and mental suffering and an additional Rs. 10,000 for litigation expenses. As per the rule, the order must be followed within 30 days; otherwise, the amount will accrue an interest of 7% p.a. until compliance.
Railways fined for failure to wake up passenger
In addition to hygiene and maintenance issues, railways had also been fined for failing to wake up passengers. Earlier, a consumer grievance forum had fined railways Rs. 5,000 for failing to wake up a passenger who had registered on its wake-up alert services. Advocate Girish Garg was traveling to Kota on the Coimbatore-Jaipur Superfast Express and had contacted customer care number 139 to request destination-alert services. The customer care executive registered his request, but he didn't receive any notification.
