15-05-2025
Excess fare: warrants issued against MD of TNSTC, Coimbatore, and RTO, Coimbatore North
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Coimbatore, has issued warrants against the Managing Director, Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation, Coimbatore, and the Regional Transport officer, Coimbatore North, for failure to comply with an order passed on February 15, 2018, in a case of collection of excess fare lodged by Coimbatore Consumer Cause.
An execution petition filed by K. Kathirmathiyon, secretary, Coimbatore Consumer Cause, during November 2023, cited the dismissal of an appeal made against the order by the State Consumer Commission and also a review petition in 2023.
During 2018, three years after he had filed a case before the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Coimbatore, the complainant was refunded the excess fare of ₹6 charged from him for to and fro travel between Vadavalli and Railway Station, along with ₹6,500 towards legal expenses.
The petitioner had called for deposit of the excess fare collected during the three-year period in the Chief Minister Relief Fund.
The TNSTC, Coimbatore, and the Regional Transport Officer, Coimbatore North, had paid the costs and the TNSTC, Coimbatore, had also deposited the fine of ₹ 10,000 along with interest at 9% for three years amounting to ₹ 7,532 to the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund.
A copy of the order was sent to the Chief Secretary and to the Transport Commissioner of Tamilnadu Government to stop such excess collection.
However, the TNSTC had claimed that the details of collection from 2015 to 2018 had been destroyed, and, hence, could not file the statement of excess collection.
The Hon'ble Commission had, in its verdict cited the Government Rule mandating all the State Transport Corporations to preserve money value documents at least for a minimum period of 8 years as stipulated in the Companies Act 1956. The TNSTC, Coimbatore, had violated the Rule and the order of this Commission, Mr. Kathirmathiyon had contended in his executive petition.
The bailable warrants were issued under Section 72 of Consumer Protection Act 2019.
