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RTC asked to refund bus pass fee for strike period
Highlights
District Consumers’ Forum-1, in its recent verdict, directed the depot manager of Dwaraka Bus Complex depot, Regional Manager and Chairman and Managing Director of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation
Visakhapatnam: District Consumers’ Forum-1, in its recent verdict, directed the depot manager of Dwaraka Bus Complex depot, Regional Manager and Chairman and Managing Director of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) to refund Rs 400 as part of general bus pass amount, Rs 2,000 as compensation and Rs 1,500 towards legal expenses to a commuter K K Satyanarayana of Chinamushidivada near Pendurti in two months.
The complainant Satyanarayana, a retired person has obtained general bus pass for one year from March 18, 2013 to March 17, 2014 for which he was issued an identity card after collecting Rs 25. Later onwards, he was regularly obtaining the bus pass by paying Rs 750 per month and using it for attending to medical assistance in the city. He renewed the bus pass on July 30, 2013 by paying Rs 750, which was valid up to August 29, 2013. Meanwhile, when the employees of RTC went on strike from August 13, 2013 to October 18, 2013 as part of State bifurcation agitation, the petitioner could not utilise the bus pass and as such, he incurred huge amount for attending to medical assistance. Though the strike was called off on October 18, 2013, the CMD gave a paper statement on October 20, 2013 that the bus pass pendency in the strike period could not be extended. The complainant visited the opposite parties several times but they neither refund the balance of amount nor extended the pendency period.
In a counter, the RTC authorities mentioned that the RTC is providing bus passes at concessional rates by collecting 20 days’ fare for 30 days travel and the RTC employees went on strike along with NGOs and one cannot hurt their sentiments. It said the petitioner could not avail the pass for 17 days but the organisation has incurred huge loss since the situation was beyond control. After perusing the evidence affidavits, Forum-1 President H Ananda Rao and Member K V R Maheswari observed that the Government of AP had paid wages to the employees of RTC even for the strike period and though the strike was suddenly declared, it was their responsibility to extend the bus pass period for all pass holders as it is a public utility service organisation. As the complainant had already availed 13 days, he should be paid for the balance of 17 days which comes to Rs 400 along with compensation, it added.
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