Govt announces toll-free number for postal complaints
The government has launched toll-free number 1924 to register postal complaints, nearly a month after introducing Twitter Sewa for redressal of telecom and postal grievances.
“Prime Minister has asked all departments to set up and strengthen public grievances redressal systems. Moving on these lines, we started Twitter Sewa on August 2 and now we have issued a toll-free number, 1924, to address postal complaints,” Communications Minister Manoj Sinha said after inaugurating the service.
The service will initially be operational for 12 hours on working days between 0800 hrs and 2000 hrs. Sinha said the complaints will be addressed in 24 hours unless they are related to policy matters.
“The service has been started initially in three languages — Hindi, English, Malayalam — and gradually we will start services in all scheduled languages,” he added.
“In three months we will start providing services in all languages. Meanwhile, we will direct calls received in any other language to the concerned circle. If required, we will also expand operating hours from 12 to 24,” DoP Secretary BV Sudhakar said.
The DoP will set up a nodal officer in all postal circles to handle public complaints. The complaints received on the toll-free number will be registered in a Computerised Customer Care (CCC) Centre portal by the operators at the Dak Bhawan, and the 11-digit ticket number will be provided to the complainants.
Insurance company ordered to pay Rs 1.26 lakh to mill owner
The Dehradun District Consumer Redressal Forum has ordered National Insurance Company Limited to pay property damage insurance claim of Rs 1.26 lakh to a consumer and imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 on the company for failure to settle the claim and causing mental agony to the litigant.
The litigant Atar Singh Chauhan, resident of Kunj Vihar in Ajabpur, stated that he had taken a oneyear policy, valid from 21 September 2010 to 21 September 2011, to protect his water mill against natural disasters like flood, landslide and earthquake.
According to the litigant, heavy rainfall in Tehri district led to a flood-like situation in the river on 16 August 2011. The rainfall damaged the north-side wall of the storage tank and ruined other sides of the windmill situated in Dang village. Thereafter, Chauhan sent a notice to the insurance company to settle the claim after contacting a construction firm that estimated total damages to the tune of Rs 703,500.
Chauhan said that he approached the forum after the claim was not settled. In its defence, the company said before the court that the case could not be settled because the litigant did not support the surveyor appointed by the company to estimate the losses. Countering the insurance company’s claim, Chauhan presented a certificate signed by the village head claiming that flood in the river damaged his water mill.
The consumer forum presided by Balbir Prasad and member Alka Negi ordered the insurance company to deduct 10 per cent as depreciation and pay the remaining amount of Rs 1.26 lakh as total compensation to the complainant within the next 30 days. Besides, an additional sum of Rs 9,000 was also asked to be given to the consumer against litigation expenses.