Made to share blanket with stranger on train, commission orders Railways to pay Rs 25,000

AI generated image used for representational purposeNEW DELHI: A Delhi consumer commission has ordered Northern Railway to pay compensation to a passenger who was made to share a single blanket and pillow with a stranger while travelling on an RAC ticket, holding that the railways had failed to provide the promised bedding despite charging the full fare.The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (South-II), in its July 10 order, held the Railways guilty of deficiency in service after finding that it had violated its own 2009 circular on providing bedrolls to RAC passengers.Why was the passenger made to share a blanket?According to the commission's order, the complainant had booked an RAC ticket from Prayagraj to Delhi on the Humsafar Express for travel on October 28, 2022. During the journey, he was allotted a shared berth with another passenger.The passenger alleged that both of them were given only one blanket, one pillow and two bedsheets for the entire journey. When he asked the onboard staff for a separate blanket and pillow, he was allegedly told that only one set of bedding was provided for one berth. He also claimed that no napkins were provided in the coach.The passenger complained to the TTE, posted his grievance on X (formerly Twitter) and later filed a written complaint with the railways. He also sought information under the RTI Act regarding the policy for providing bedrolls to RAC passengers.The railways, however, said bedrolls were provided as per rules and claimed that a separate bedroll was later given to the passenger after his complaint. It also stated that a penalty of Rs 1,000 had been imposed on the contractor responsible for supplying the linen."OP further states that bedrolls are provided to the passenger as per the railway rule. An extra blanket is provided as per demand/requirement and availability of bed roll during the travel. OP further states that the present dispute is under examination with the concerned railway i.e. NC Railway, Allahabad," the commission order reads.Why did the commission rule against the Railways?The bench comprising President Monika Aggarwal Srivastava and Members Rajender Dhar and Ritu Garodia noted that it was undisputed that the complainant had travelled on an RAC ticket, shared the berth with a stranger and was initially provided only one blanket and one pillow."The railways provided one blanket to two completely unrelated passengers in violation of circular dated 23.09.2009," the commission noted.The commission also found that although the railways claimed a separate bedroll was later provided, it failed to produce any evidence to support the claim."OP has not placed on record any proof that a separate bedroll was provided to the complainant," the bench observed.It further observed that the railways had imposed a penalty on the linen contractor but neither informed the complainant about it nor compensated him for the inconvenience caused to him."Thereafter, the railways imposed a Rs 1,000 penalty on the linen contractor, but failed to inform the complainant about the same or provide compensation to the passenger," the bench added.Holding the railways guilty of deficiency in service, the commission directed it to pay Rs 20,000 as compensation for mental harassment and physical inconvenience and Rs 5,000 towards litigation costs, taking the total award to Rs 25,000. It also directed the Railways to comply with the order within 60 days, failing which the amount would carry 7 per cent annual interest.