Factory, 2 distributors fined Rs 1.49 lakh for selling substandard cement

District Consumer Protection Forum (DCPF), Srinagar has directed a cement manufacturing company and its two distributors to pay Rs 1.49 lakh as compensation to a customer for selling him substandard cement.

The directions came after the forum presided over by Muhammad Ashraf Malik district and sessions judge heard both the parties on the matter and took the evidences and witnesses produced from both parties on record.

   

Abdul MajeedLohar of Warnu, Kupwara had filed a complaint against managing director TCI Cements, Mughal Cement Store and Shabir Ahmad Bhat. In his complaint, he had alleged that he purchased 60 bags of cement for a sum of Rs 22,000 and used the same in construction and also for laying slab of his residential house as well as shops situated in Kupwara.

Upon removing the shuttering from the slab after 31 days, the slab all of a sudden collapsed and fell down. Lohar (complainant) brought this fact to the notice of OPs who after great persuasion deputed a team of engineers to verify the cause of collapse of slab. After conducting verification opposition parties while admitting that the product was having some manufacturing defect paid a sum of Rs 60,000 as compensation to the complainant.

However, the complainant pleaded for indemnification of overall loss caused to use of substandard cement to the tune of Rs 2.58 lakh but was refused by the opposite parties.

While holding the OPs guilty of having adopted unfair trade practice and deficient service, it directed them to pay Rs 44,825 as cost price of product and iron along with 10 percent interest from the date of purchase till realisation; to pay Rs 1 lakh as compensation for causing mental pain, agony, harassment and financial loss, and Rs 5,000 as litigation charges to complainant.

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