Hyderabad: Consumer Panel slaps Rs 2.15 L penalty on Ashoka Travels over lost baggage on corporate trip

Hyderabad: Hyderabad District Consumer Commission–I has directed Ashoka Travels to pay Rs 2 lakh as compensation and Rs 15,000 as legal costs after passengers lost luggage during a corporate trip.

The Commission pulled up the travel. operator for negligence and warned of an additional Rs 50,000 penalty for non-compliance.

Corporate firms organize a trip

Synergy Measurement Technologies Pvt. Ltd. and Measurement Solutions Pvt. Ltd. arranged a staff tour to Tarkarli, Maharashtra. The firms hired two AC luxury buses from Ashoka Travels at Rs 95 per km for a 1,900 km trip, paying an advance of Rs 4.48 lakh (after TDS deduction).

Luggage falls off on Highway

The tour began from Secunderabad on October 13, 2024. Due to the negligence of the driver and assistant, the bus' boot door was left unsecured. Between 4 am and 5 am near Kolhapur, three large suitcases fell onto the road.

Two were recovered with local help, but one went missing. Some employees traveled back from Tarkarli to Radhanagari in search of the suitcase, spending Rs 20,000, but it could not be traced despite a police complaint.

Extra deduction for travel

Adding to the grievance, Ashoka Travels deducted ₹32,000 from the firm’s advance, claiming bus glass damage. The companies filed a complaint, terming the deduction unjust.

Commission’s Ruling

After examining evidence, the Commission concluded that Ashoka Travels’ negligence caused the loss. It rejected the firm’s disclaimer of non-responsibility for passengers’ belongings, holding it inapplicable to the case.

The Commission directed payment of compensation and litigation costs, cautioning that failure to comply within the stipulated time would invite an additional penalty of Rs 50,000.