Dakshina Kannada District Consumer Commission on Saturday, April 18, directed BSNL to pay one of its consumers ₹30,000, including ₹25,000 as compensation for deficiency in service and causing mental agony, and ₹5,000 towards litigation costs, noting that the service was deficient in restoring a disrupted BSNL fibre network in the Kamila area of Guthigar village, Sullia Taluk in 2024.
The in-charge president of the Commission, Somashekarappa K. Handigol, and the lady member, H.G. Sharadamma, asked the BSNL office, Mangaluru, represented by its general manager, and the BSNL Customer Centre, Sullia, represented by its deputy executive engineer, to pay the amount within 45 days from the date of the order, failing which, the amount will carry a penal interest of 6% per annum from the date of default till its realisation in 2024.
The Commission said if BSNL fails to comply with the order, the complainant, P.V. Harisubrahmanya of Puchchappady, near Kamila, may initiate civil/criminal proceedings under Section 71/72 of the Consumer Protection Act.
In the complaint before the Commission, Mr. Harisubrahmanya said he works as a data quality and data governance manager in Jones Lang LaSalle Property Consultants (India) Private Limited, based in Bengaluru. He uses the BSNL Fibre Network issued in the name of his deceased father to work from his home whenever he comes to his native place near Kamila. The Fibre Network got fully disrupted from December 26, 2024. Notwithstanding his intimation to the BSNL office in Mangaluru and the BSNL Customer Service Centre in Sullia, no steps were taken to correct the outage.
