The District Consumer Redressal Forum while adjudicating an applicant plaint against two bus owners whose vehicles had collected excess fare from him during journey, the forum found the accused guilty and directed them to pay Rs 30, 000 fine including Rs 5,000 cost of the complaint in favour of the victim consumer on Friday.
Report said that a consumer activist Govinda Ojha hailing from Redhua village, 10 km away from here, had lodged a complaint before the District Consumer Redressal Forum alleging that he had been charged excess fare by two buses during his journey from Raghunathpur to Cuttack and back.
The victim complaint alleged that Raghunathpur to Cuttack stands a distance of 38 km, while the bus conductor charged him Rs 30. Similar fare had been charged by another bus when he returned Raghunathpur from Cuttack. The complainant raised objection that the bus conductors collected excess fare from him as the fare as per Government rate would be Rs 23.56.
Basing on the complainant plea, the forum issued notices to the errant two bus owners, including the State Transport Commissioner, RTOs Jagatsinghpur and Cuttack for defending the complaint. All the defendants had filed replies through advocates and the complainant pleaded at the forum himself.
Taking pleas occupied by applicant genuine and correct, the forum rejected opposite parties’ defence and awarded the pecuniary fine against two bus owners.