By IANS
Bhubaneswar : A consumer court in Orissa has awarded Rs.1 lakh as compensation to a man who lost his baggage after flying to Singapore by Indian Airlines in 1999.
The Orissa Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission bench led by president Justice R.K. Patra and member Subash Mahatab Wednesday directed Indian, earlier known as Indian Airlines, and tour operator Sita World Travels to pay the compensation to Susanta Kumar Baral, court sources said Friday.
Baral, a faculty member in the department of business administration at Berhampur University in Ganjam district, had flown to Singapore July 6, 1999 to attend a conference.
When he arrived at the Singapore airport, he could not find his suitcase. It contained, besides money, dresses, important documents, floppies and other essentials needed for his stay.
After the conference ended July 10, Baral had to stay three more days at the airport after the airlines reportedly pledged to retrieve his luggage within two days. But nothing happened, and he returned July 14.
The airline had calculated the value of the 12-kg baggage at US$240 but offered no compensation for mental agony. Baral moved the Redressal Commission in 2004.
Besides the award of Rs.1 lakh, the commission also asked the companies to pay him Rs.5,000 as litigation expenses, Baral told IANS. “I am happy I got justice finally,” he said.