Mangalore: Rat trouble - Consumer Forum penalizes Indian Railways


Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Jul 25: Through a judgment, Dakshina Kannada District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, has ordered the Southern Railway to pay an amount of Rs 10,000 as compensation to Pradeep Kumar Shetty for the losses he suffered on account of rats which moved about in one of its trains. It also ordered the railways to meet court costs of Rs 2,000. In case of failure to comply with these instructions within a month, the railways will be bound pay interest at the rate of 12 percent per annum on the said amount to the complainant.

President of the Forum, Asha Shetty, and member, Lavanya M Rai, delivered this unique judgment.

Although it is common for the commuters of trains to face predicament, fear, and losses on account of proliferation of rats which are seen moving about freely in coaches including air-conditioned ones, rarely one knocks at the doors of the judiciary to make good the losses he or she suffers. In this case, Pradeep Kumar Shetty and his friends from Kundapur taluk had undertaken Shabarimala visit through a train. After arriving at Chenganur railway station in Kerala during return journey, the group bought a sari and garments for children there. The Prasadam of Lord Ayyappa had also been kept with the clothes, and the bag had been kept below their berths.

During the return journey, rats not only gnawed through the bag in which the above items were kept, but also gobbled up the sari and childrens' garments found inside, turning them into tatters full of holes.

Shetty and his friends were dismayed at finding after reaching Mangalore that their things had been destroyed by rats, promptly filed a complaint with the station manager there. The station manager signed a copy of the complaint in acknowledgement of having received it. As the railway department failed to respond to the complaint even after long time, Shetty filed a complaint in district consumers forum. The forum issued notice to the railway department, seeking its response and explanation.

As the officials of the railways failed to respond, the court, after going through the records, ordered payment compensation and court costs as above.

  

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  • sai keshava technologies, secunderabad

    Sat, Jan 23 2016

    OUR PRODUCT “ NOISELESS ULTRASONICRODENT REPELLER “ IN YOUR OFFICE PREMISES FOR GETTING 100 % PREVENTION OF THE ENTRY OF PESTS SUCH AS RODENTS, BANDICOOTS, RATS AND MICE AND ALSO 100 % PROTECTION FROM THE SUBSEQUENT DESTRUCTION/ DAMAGES DONE BY THEM.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Chandrashekar, Mangalore/Mumbai

    Sat, Jul 26 2014

    Hi,
    Please do not spoil the reputation of our country."The honour of a nation depends on the morality of the nation"

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Juliet Mascarenhas, Bejai

    Sat, Jul 26 2014

    Acche din aagaye hai.
    Besides fast trains,bullet trains,Even rats are employed as inspectors in the trains.
    Modi Sarkaar, Chuvva Sardar.

    DisAgree [6] Agree [7] Reply Report Abuse

  • ruchir agarwal, mangalore

    Fri, Jul 25 2014

    Cockroaches and bad smell is a common thing in A/C coaches. but this rats menace is new to me !!

    DisAgree Agree [7] Reply Report Abuse

  • Vincent Rodrigues, katapadi/Bangalore

    Fri, Jul 25 2014

    Railway Minister may form a committee to find out the causes and reasons for rat problems in the train because that is the way our politicians are trying to tackle the problems.

    DisAgree Agree [7] Reply Report Abuse

  • Stany & Josehine Dsouza, Mumbai / Miyyar

    Fri, Jul 25 2014

    We (5 of us) too had a bad experience of 5 bags in the 3 tier AC compartment gnawed by the rats in the year 2010. When we got down at Udipi station, we found our brand new bags & clothes gnawed and tattered. WE lodged complaint with the Udupi Station Master and claimed compensation from the railways. He took the complaint & said he would forward to his higher authority. Nothing happened. After some time letter came from their head quarters in Trivandrum saying that they regretted the incident and have cautioned the personnel to fumigate. We wrote and email seeking compensation. But they have not even acknowledged. After this incident, we stopped travelling by train to Udupi. WE use other modes. Who will fight with these mighty but callous, irresponsible railways. Hats off to Mr.Pradeep Kumar Shetty for taking up with the Consumer Forum, and the Consumer Forum for giving such historic decision. Hope this decision of the Forum will open the eyes of railways.

    DisAgree Agree [14] Reply Report Abuse

  • Brian Lobo, bejai / kolkata

    Fri, Jul 25 2014

    Hi, there are no nice mice in trains , only rats that are brats !!

    DisAgree Agree [6] Reply Report Abuse

  • joe Gonsalves, Mangalore

    Fri, Jul 25 2014

    It is indeed good to see that we can go to Consumer Forum for redress of any grievance.

    Joe Gonsalves

    DisAgree Agree [7] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jossey Saldanha, Mumbai

    Fri, Jul 25 2014

    DVS should issue monthly tickets to rats. Railways will be back into PROFITS ...

    DisAgree [5] Agree [14] Reply Report Abuse

  • Mohandas Kapikad, Mangaluru

    Sat, Jul 26 2014

    This Rats work was done during your party regime in Centre. So you could have asked then your Railway Minister to issue pass.

    DisAgree [3] Agree [4] Reply Report Abuse

  • John Tauro, M'lore / Kwt

    Sat, Jul 26 2014

    Mr. Kapikad,
    The then railway minister, Pawan Bansal refused pass to rats for not paying additional charges under the table.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • paddu, mangalore

    Fri, Jul 25 2014

    They was some news like The new bangalore-mangalore train will run morning 8.30AM. If it is true the BUS lobby worked.what is the use of day train?.We all must protest and make it run night. Plz joins your hands...

    DisAgree Agree [9] Reply Report Abuse

  • Ashok Kotian, Mangalore / Mumbai

    Fri, Jul 25 2014

    Well Done. It is high time these government employees are taken to task for their careless and indifferent attitude.

    DisAgree Agree [8] Reply Report Abuse

  • R.Bhandarkar, M'lore

    Fri, Jul 25 2014

    At this rate 'rats' should be provided for in the annual Railway Budget!
    This happened a year ago. I was traveling in the A/c section with a colleague of mine to B'lore. She had carried a bag of eatables,home made cake,pastries and the like
    to give it to her friend on her birthday.Imagine her shock the next morning when she removed her bag from below the seats. It was in tatters...the cake half peeping out, the edibles dangling and all that.
    How can I get out with this bag ? she lamented. It had holes all over
    small ,some big-resembling something you see at the 'Fashion Shops' these days.
    Don't worry -I told her...As you are getting out of the A/c cabin, all including the porters will think that you have got this bag
    either from Hong Kong or Singapore!
    She mustered courage then and confidently strolled out!
    This from my experience and here I read in the 'Specials', that writing from heaven one guy says 'Here even the Mice are Nice'!. I mean the Mice which are not Nice on Indian Railways-How can they be Nice in Heaven?

    DisAgree [1] Agree [9] Reply Report Abuse

  • GCP., Muscat

    Fri, Jul 25 2014

    Indian railways should provide a separate compartment for rats.

    DisAgree Agree [9] Reply Report Abuse

  • Gingerbread, Mangalore

    Fri, Jul 25 2014

    Like people like government. People of India unhygienic and do not know what is cleanness hence you find cockroaches rats and bed bugs at homes or buses or trains so also are the governments they elect .

    DisAgree Agree [7] Reply Report Abuse

  • Melvin Rodrigues, Mangalore/Abu Dhabi

    Fri, Jul 25 2014

    Kodey Eli, yelley pergudey bokka tooyerey pili baru. Puche dayeg.

    DisAgree Agree [7] Reply Report Abuse

  • Peter, Bangalore

    Fri, Jul 25 2014

    Smile Gowda is not taking any action against Rats , Quallity food @ Maha Bhavan..

    DisAgree [2] Agree [12] Reply Report Abuse

  • taurojohn, mangalore/malad

    Fri, Jul 25 2014

    well done Mr Pradeep kumar shetty.
    many of the us just ignore any kind of loss or problems we face . you are the motivation for us. All the best

    DisAgree Agree [27] Reply Report Abuse

  • florine, mumbai

    Fri, Jul 25 2014

    The railway commuters will surely be happy on such decision taken by the consumer forum. There is still a vast to be looked into. Bed bugs, cockroaches and rats roam all over in the compartment, toilets stink - though the cleaners on contract do come and take commuters signatures for satisfactory services. First of all the tea vendors or refreshments servers should be made to collect the waste food and empty sachets of the food served by them and shift them to dustbins instead of commuters throwing out from the windows and all over the tracks which will indirectly spoil our environment. The license of the vendor to be issued with the guidelines to keep our railway clean and safe.

    DisAgree Agree [21] Reply Report Abuse

  • RJ roshan, mangalore

    Fri, Jul 25 2014

    "Trained nana puche thankod"

    DisAgree [1] Agree [26] Reply Report Abuse


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