Forum awards compensation for postal delay in account transfer

Admitting a complaint against Thane Postal authorities by a retired Air Force employee, the District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum (TDCRF) here ordered a compensation of Rs 25,000 for delay in services.
In their order passed yesterday, President Umesh Jhawalikar and member N D Kadam observed that the delay in services by the postal department caused distress and financial loss to the complainant Sudharshan Maini.
The Forum said that having retired from Airforce, instead of keeping his funds in other investment avenues he had kept the same in National Funds, but the treatment given to him was one of harassment, which was unacceptable.

Maini had sought transfer of his two accounts (savings and MIS) from Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh to Apnabazar post office in Thane.
The postal department unduly delayed the transfer of the accounts and also transferred the savings account to the Thane Head post office instead of the Apnabazar post office.
When the department did not pay any heed to repeated correspondence and complaints by Maini on delay and mistake in transfer, he filed a complaint with the Forum and sought a compensation of Rs 25,000.

The department in its submission could not not give a proper explanation for the delay and mix-up and simply stated that the departmental action was being taken after due enquiry into the matter.

The Forum observed that while there was timely transfer of the accounts of the complainant from Dehradun to Thane, there was undue delay from MP to Thane, which the postal authorities could not not explain.
Hence it has to pay the compensation which includes legal expenses for the sufferings and also losses he had to suffer due to the mistake.