Harish Murali By Express News Service CHENNAI: A District Consumer Forum here has directed the KPN Travels India Limited to provide a compensation of Rs 23,300 to a Chennai resident after the air-conditioned sleeper coach bus from kodaikanal to Chennai started leaking from the roof when it rained. J Sathish, a resident of Royapettah travelled from Kodaikanal to Chennai in 2015 with his family when the bus started leaking from the roof and all the luggage got damaged. Sathish submitted in the forum that he had purchased the tickets at a total cost of Rs 3,300 for his family's journey on April 16, 2015. Within a few minutes after the bus started the journey, it began to rain and the entire bus started to leak from the roof through the air conditioner vents. The leaking rainwater damaged all the luggage that was placed inside the bus and he was humiliated by the bus staff when he complained about the matter, the petitioner said. Following this, he filed a petition at the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Chennai (South) seeking compensation of Rs 25,000 from the travels company. Denying the allegations, the counsel for KPN Travels submitted that the bus staff did not humiliate the petitioner. "When the complainant argued in such a nature the bus authorities informed them to take another bus to travel if they don’t like to travel". Further, the problem was due to heavy rain and any leakage from that particular place unavoidable and not an expected one, the counsel of the company argued. However, the forum presided by M Mony observed that the KPN travels in its reply to the forum has admitted the fact that they have in deed told the passengers to take another bus during an argument with the driver and hence the deficiency in their service is proved. The forum directed the KPN Travels India Limited to pay Rs 23,300 to the petitioner.

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