Post Master to pay Rs 10K for wrong remark by postman

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

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Chandigarh, October 14

Terming the wrong remark given by the postman for non-delivery of the article sent through Speed Post, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed the Post Master, Chandigarh, to pay Rs10,000 as compensation to a city resident.

Prem Shanker Agrawal (70) of Sector 49-A, in his complaint filed before the commission, has said he has booked one article by Speed Post on July 16, 2022, through the sub-post office, Sector 48. It was addressed to First Appellate Authority-Cum Joint Secretary Estate, Chandigarh Administration, UT Secretariat, Sector 9.

But the article was returned to the complainant on July 20, 2022, with the remarks as incomplete address/insufficient address on August 27, 2022.

He says he has submitted a complaint to the Postmaster, Head Post Office, Sector 17, Chandigarh, and requested to refund the amount of Rs 18 charged for the booking of the article. The complainant also sought the refund of Rs 250 spent by him for the delivery of the same letter at the given address by himself.

The opposite parties (Post Master, Head Post Office, Chandigarh) did not reply to this notice. Hence, he filed a complaint with the prayer to refund Rs 18, Rs 250 along with compensation of Rs 10,000 for causing him harassment and mental agony.

The Post Master, Chandigarh, in the reply admitted that the same article was returned to the sender with the remarks “incomplete /insufficient address” by the postman concerned. He said an inquiry regarding this matter was conducted and held that there was no fault on the part of the delivery person concerned except that the remark given by the postman that could have been “refused by addressee”, instead of “incomplete/insufficient address”.

After hearing the arguments, the commission said the complainant had posted the letter via Speed Post to the addressee seeking the services of the opposite party, but the postman, instead of giving remarks that the OP had refused to accept the same, gave the remarks that there is “insufficient address”. The remarks of the postman of “insufficient address”, instead of the “refused”, amount to deficiency in service.

The commission said in view of this, the complaint is partly allowed and the opposite parties are directed to pay Rs10,000 as compensation to him.