Haryana Roadways penalised for stranding passengers after mishap

The UT State Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission has upheld an earlier order against Haryana Roadways in Chandigarh for deficiency in services as the state body had failed to arrange alternate transport for passengers, who were stranded after an accident in 2011.

The commission has dismissed Haryana Roadways' appeal against the earlier order by the UT district forum, in which, the state transport body was directed to refund and provide a compensation of around Rs 18,000 to two complainants, Anveeksha and Verma Ravi Khokher, both residents of Chandigarh, who were on the bus on the day of incident.

Anveeksha Verma, an MBA at IIT Kanpur, claimed she had to reach Kanpur to join classes on September 9, 2011 and had booked two Volvo Bus tickets for Rs 1,030 from Chandigarh to Delhi on September 7. On the way, as it reached the National Highway near Ambala, the bus was hit by a truck approaching from the same side. The driver and the conductor stopped the bus on the highway to check the damage. Meanwhile, another truck approaching from the same side did not see the stopped bus and rammed into it. Due the impact of the collision, the bus fell into a ditch causing the death of one passenger.

According to the complainants, they waited for sometime in the hope that the driver would arrange an alternative bus for the passengers, but no such arrangements were made. The two stated that they had to hire a taxi, from Ambala Cantt to New Delhi, for which, they paid a sum of Rs 3,375. They alleged that it was the duty of the Haryana Roadways officials to provide an alternative service to the passengers to enable them to reach their destinations in time, which they failed to do.

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