TNSTC to pay Rs 20k for leaving behind woman, child at food stop
Mother and child were stranded at night after TNSTC bus drove off
Representative image
CHENNAI: The Chennai north district Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed the TNSTC to pay Rs 20,000 to a complainant who was left behind along with her daughter at a stop for refreshments during a bus journey.
The complainant J Poongodi in September 2023 boarded a TNSTC bus at Koyambedu along with her eight-year-old daughter to travel to Polur. Around 8:30 pm, the bus halted at a restaurant near Vadanangur in Tiruvannamalai for refreshments.
Poongodi left her luggage on the bus and went to use the restroom along with her daughter. When she returned at 8:34 pm, the bus had already left without them.
The restaurant owner contacted the bus crew, who then instructed Poongodi to rejoin the bus at a petrol bunk. However, when she reached there accompanied by some of the restaurant staff around 8.40 pm, the bus wasn’t there, and the crew again told her they had already left. She was then advised to board another bus to Polur.
The restaurant staff dropped her and the child off at Vandavasi junction late at night and they eventually boarded another bus to Polur.
Poongodi submitted that the conductor failed to ensure that all passengers were on board before departure, leaving a woman and a child stranded at night, causing severe mental distress. Upon reaching Polur, she found her bag open and a bluetooth headset and Rs 1,500 missing.
The commission directed the opposite party to pay Rs 15,000 to the complainants towards compensation for deficiency in service and material loss and Rs 5000 litigation cost.
