CHENNAI: Not wearing the first
button of a
shirt has cost a Southern Railway
Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE). A Chennai-based passenger of
Kovai Express had complained about the TTE not adhering to the
dress code and demanding
Rs 200 for allotment of seat.
It was a double blow for the TTE with Southern Railway (SR) and
consumer forum penalising him for the two instances recently. The complainant, G A Thiyagarajan, and two others were travelling from Salem to Chennai in Kovai Express in December 2014 in an unreserved coach.
The trio approached Raji, the TTE, and sought accommodation in a reserved compartment. Raji allegedly demanded Rs 200 for a seat in the reserved coach and threatened to impose a fine when asked for a receipt for the amount paid, said Thiyagarajan. He filed a complaint with SR authorities about the
improper dress code of the TTE, not wearing identity card and name badge on duty and unruly behaviour in the presence of other passengers in the coach.
Through a series of Right to Information (RTI) petitions, he got to know that disciplinary proceedings were initiated against the TTE in connection with the complaint. The railway administration, after an enquiry, penalized the TTE by withholding his next annual increment for a period of one year. But this information was not conveyed to Thiyagarajan completely. So, he approached District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Chennai (North), seeking action against the TTE and GM of SR.
During trial, the railways claimed that the passenger had an unreserved ticket and was ineligible to travel in reserved coaches. He was liable to pay a sum equal to the difference fare of Rs 250, whichever was higher. Thiyagarajan again filed RTI petitions to determine that an open ticket holder can seek accommodation in a reserved coach with permission of the TTE if vacant seats were available. During the said journey, there were seven vacant seats and non-allotment of seats to him and his companions amounted to deficiency of service, he said. “Purchase of tickets by the passenger is not only for accommodation in the coach but also for appropriate services to be rendered by railway authorities,” the forum noted imposing a fine of Rs 10,000 for mental agony, besides Rs 5,000 for costs.