LPG vendor ordered to pay for late delivery

A consumer court recently directed an LPG distributor to pay Rs 100 per day for each delayed day in providing gas cylinder.

For the 25 days of delay in providing the cylinder, the court directed the agency to cough up Rs 2,500 to the consumer.

The Additional District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum in Shanthinagar passed the orders on April 13 over a complaint filed by M Kishore Rao, a resident of Chikkabetttahalli, Vidyaranyapura post, against the Indian Oil Corporation and M/s Nataraj Enterprises, an Indane Gas distributor in Yelahanka.

Rao said in his complaint that the delivery man demanded an additional Rs 100 with the cylinder but he refused to pay up. The agency refused to deliver the cylinder, which made him buy an electric stove for Rs 4,500.

The cylinder was delivered after a delay of 25 days, prompting Rao to file the complaint with the consumer court.

Rao demanded compensation for the electric stove that he had to buy at 18% interest per annum and Rs 15,000 for the mental agony he went through as the distributor agency failed to provide the cylinder on time.

The consumer court, headed by its president H R Srinivas and member D Suresh, found the delay was due to poor services of M/s Nataraj Enterprises and asked the agency to pay Rs 100 for each day of delay.

The court further directed the agency to pay Rs 2,000 for mental and physical harassment caused to the consumer and Rs 1,000 for litigation expenses.