Pay Rs 50,000 to customer, BSNL told

The three-member coram comprising of president Jayant S Prabhu and two members Savita Kurtarker and Cynthia Colaco passed the order. 

“The complaint is partly allowed.  The complainant shall be entitled to a compensation and the cost of this complaint, which we assess Rs 40,000 and Rs 10,000 respectively.  If the said amount is not paid by the opposite party to the complainant within 30 days, the said amount shall carry an interest of 9 per cent per annum from the date of this order till its realization,” the order reads. 

The case was filed by Adv Atish Mandrekar, a Taleigao resident against the General Manager, BSNL, Patto, Panjim in 2013.

The Forum also criticised BSNL for dragging the complaint for three years instead of settling the dispute amicably as a public service provider.

Mandrekar is a user of telephone (landline) with broadband connection and when they went out of order, he complained to the BSNL officer about the line going out of order.  However, no action was taken. Therefore, the present complaint came to be filed by the complainant praying inter-alia for compensation of Rs 1,30,000 towards the deficiency caused to him.