Railways penalised as traveller loses booked seat

The Delhi State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (SCDRC) has upheld the district forum’s order which had asked the Railways to deduct one third of the compensation from the salary of the ticket checker who apparently failed to ensure that the reserved seat of the aggrieved passenger was not used by anyone else.

“The compensation of Rs 75,000 awarded by the district forum is reasonable and appropriate. The same has been awarded by considering the facts and circumstances of the case,” the bench headed by its president Justice Veena Birbal said.

Kumar, in his complaint, said that when he travelled by Dakshin Express on March 30, 2013 from Visakhapatnam to New Delhi, his reserved seat was occupied by someone else. Kumar had booked a lower berth. It was alleged by Kumar that some unauthorised persons occupied his seat/ berth at Bina Station in Madhya Pradesh.

Going green, the Indian Railways is stepping up efforts to reduce emission by 33 per cent in the next 10-12 years through sustained energy efficiency measures and and maximum use of clean fuel. Promoting low-carbon mass transportation system, the Railways will be using 5 per cent bio-diesel and CNG/LNG for traction while stepping up use of renewables up to 10 per cent of its energy needs by 2030. Besides, state-ofthe-art energy-efficient locomotives and regenerative braking system will be deployed to cut emission.