The Hindu : Karnataka / Mysore News : Hotel found guilty of deficiency in service

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 06, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Mysore

Hotel found guilty of deficiency in service

By Our Staff Correspondent

MYSORE, MARCH 5. A restaurant on the Bangalore-Mysore highway, recognised by the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation for providing refreshments to its passengers, has been found guilty of deficiency in service by a consumer court.

A KSRTC bus passenger's complaint that he was allegedly served a stale vada and charged a price higher than the maximum retail price for certain packaged food items was upheld by the Mandya District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum in its order dated February 16, 2005.

Refund

Apart from directing the management of the hotel to refund the excess amount to the passenger, besides Rs 500 as costs, the consumer forum has directed the KSRTC to exercise proper control over restaurants recognised by it for halting buses plying between Bangalore and Mysore.

According to a complaint filed by S.P. Thirumala Rao, a resident of Mysore, he and his wife boarded a KSRTC bus at Bangalore on May 20, 2002 for Mysore. The driver of the bus stopped in front of a hotel near Mandya. The complainant went to the hotel, ordered a cup of coffee and two vadas. Finding the vadas served to him to be stale, Dr. Rao complained to the person seated on the cash counter. He was rudely told that the hotel management is not in a position to serve piping hot vadas to every customer. When the complainant demanded the complaint book to register his complaint, he was denied the same by the hotel management.

A few days later, Dr. Rao travelled in another KSRTC bus from Bangalore to Mysore. The bus stopped in front of the same hotel near Mandya. The complainant purchased a packet of Marie biscuit, a bottle of Sprite and a Maaza fruit juice. The hotelier charged him Rs. 6 for Marie biscuit, whose MRP is Rs 5, Rs 20 for Sprite whose MRP is Rs 18 and Rs 12 for Maaza, whose MRP is Rs 10.

When Dr. Rao demanded a bill for the purchases from the hotelier, the latter not only refused, but also shouted at him.

Producing bus tickets of his journey, Dr. Rao had accused the hotel management of deficiency in service and KSRTC of practicing unfair trade practices by recognising a hotel for halting buses and failing to exercise proper control over the it.

According to the court order, the driver of KSRTC bus claimed that he does not know the terms and conditions between his department and the hotel. But, he had admitted that the proprietor of the hotel gives a specific sum of money for every halt and the same is credited to the department.

"When it is found that the hotel management is paying money to KSRTC for each halt of the bus, it follows that KSRTC has to get control over the hotel management. If it is found that the hotel is not providing tasty and hygienic food to the passengers, it is the duty of the KSRTC to instruct the hotel management to provide good and healthy food. The KSRTC cannot remain silent even though stale and unhealthy food is served to the passengers", the court ruled.

Hence, the Court directed the hotel management to pay Rs 26 and Rs 500 as costs to the complainant.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka

News Update

Stories in this Section

Cut in customs duty will hit PSUs: KIAMA

Helpline for the elderly in Mysore from March 12

`Involve people in tourism development in Mysore'

Hotel found guilty of deficiency in service

Ropeway to Chamundi Hills opposed

Not many takers for traffic warden posts

Dial 1090 for help