Karthik Mohan, a resident of Chennai, who works as a Deputy Manager at Bosch Limited, filed a complaint against the Southern Railway in The Ernakulam District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission stating that a 13-hour delay of the Chennai-Alleppey Express had adverse consequences for his future career. Mohan had booked a ticket from Ernakulam to Chennai on May 6, 2018, for an important meeting. However, the inordinate delay of the train caused hardship not only to him but also to NEET candidates.
The ET reported that the Consumer Disputes Commission ordered the Indian Railways to pay a compensation of Rs 60,000 to the passenger for the delay.
The commission stated that the significance of a passenger’s time cannot be ignored, and the delay, coupled with inadequate prior communication, was a deficiency in service.
It was reported that the bench, consisting of president D B Binu and members V Ramachandran and Sreevidhia T N, highlighted that despite being a significant Public Sector Undertaking, the Indian Railways often fails to provide efficient services.
“Despite being a significant Public Sector Undertaking and being governed by various laws, the Indian Railways often fails to provide efficient services. Issues like late trains and unavailability of reserved seats persist. Consumers can seek compensation for losses or unfair practices,” the order issued on October 18, read.
The commission acknowledged the undeniable significance of a passenger’s time and the substantial inconvenience and distress caused by the unexpected delay. It directed the Railways to pay Rs 50,000 for the inconvenience, mental agony, physical hardship, and financial repercussions experienced due to the deficiency of service and unfair practices. Additionally, Rs 10,000 was awarded towards the cost of proceedings.
The complaint emphasized that the railway authorities should have promptly communicated the delay and made alternate arrangements. The Railways, on the other hand, maintained that there was no deficiency, negligence, or lethargy on their part. They explained that the delay was due to the diversion of the train because of yard remodeling work at Arakkonam in Chennai.
How can I claim compensation for delayed train in Irctc?
The IRCTC has issued a detailed statement explaining the procedure to claim refund and compensation for delay in running the train.
Claims Process for IRCTC Trains: Trip Delay
Passengers boarding Tejas Express will be eligible for “Trip Delay” coverage, under valid ticket.
Modes of claim intimation:
By calling the call-center (1800-266-5844)
By E-mail (irctcclaims@libertyinsurance.in)
By accessing Liberty Insurance’s link at:
https://www.libertyinsurance.in/products/Travel/IRCTC/Claims
Below mentioned are steps to be followed along with documents requirement for claims
settlement.
Trip Delay – Process Flow:
Confirmed passenger/ customers on Tejas Express will call the Liberty General
Insurance Ltd. (LGIL) contact center to intimate claim in case the train is delayed at
destination point of passenger/ customer detraining.
Customer Executive Officer will request the passenger/ customer to provide the PNR
details along with Certificate of Insurance (COI) number that was shared by Liberty
General Insurance Ltd. on issuance of Certificate of Insurance (COI).
Additionally, customer executive officer will also inform the passenger/ customer to
share documents as mentioned below on the email address
irctcclaims@libertyinsurance.in
Cancelled Cheque
Subject line mentioning PNR and Certificate of Insurance number
Claims Processing:
On receipt of data from Contact Centre SPOC / Claim intimation, claim number will be
generated.
On receipt of documents from passenger/ customer through mail on
irctcclaims@libertyinsurance.in claims team will refer the appended data received
from IRCTC.
Claims SPOC will incorporate final document receipt date in the appended data list.
On confirmation, we shall send a SMS to customer/passenger with the claim number.
In case documents provided as mentioned above are in order, claims SPOC will
approve the claim and incorporate NEFT details along with claim amount approved.
Claims SPOC will share claims approved list along with claim amount approved for the
COI’s processing on a given day with Finance team for claims payment.
On receipt of details, finance team will upload details in the banking system for claim
payments to be paid in T+1 day.
