The South Central Railway (SCR) has been ordered by a district consumer forum to pay INR 15,000 to a passenger for the non-functioning of air conditioners (ACs) and fans in a 3 AC compartment due to an electricity failure. As per a TOI report, the complainant, KVS Appa Rao, had reserved two seats in the Garib Rath train for himself and his daughter to travel from Visakhapatnam to Secunderabad on April 5, 2023.
According to Rao, the train departed at 8:40 pm and after having dinner, they went to sleep around 10 pm. However, they woke up in the middle of the night due to suffocation as the ACs and fans were not working. Rao immediately informed the travelling ticket examiner (TTE) about the issue. The TTE and other officials mentioned that the problem was caused by an electrical failure and assured that it would be resolved upon reaching Eluru station.
The train reached Eluru station at 1:40 am, an hour behind schedule, and Vijayawada at 2:30 am. During this time, the passengers faced difficulties due to suffocation and lack of ventilation. The train remained stationary from 4:40 am until power was restored at Vijayawada station on April 6. Despite writing a letter to the railways explaining the ordeal and demanding compensation, Rao received no response.
Rao discovered through an RTI application that the power supply to the AC plants was unavailable due to non-working diesel generating (DG) sets in the train. Seeking compensation, he filed a complaint. The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission – II, Hyderabad, stated during the trial that “The failure of the AC and delay in travelling clearly shows negligence and deficiency of service on the part of the opposite party.”
