Baramulla, February 14, 2024:* After a 17-year-long battle, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (DCDRC) in Baramulla/Bandipora ruled in favor of the consumers who lodged a complaint against the National Insurance Company Limited for deficiency of service and unfair trade practices following the 2005 earthquake.Responding to the complaint filed on March 27, 2006, the DCDRC Baramulla/Bandipora issued a judgment instructing the National Insurance Company Limited to compensate the complainants with a sum of Rs. 6 lakhs, along with 10% interest from the date of filing the complaint. The insurance company is also directed to pay an additional Rs. 50 thousand to the complainants for mental and physical harassment, as well as litigation charges.The complaint was lodged by residents of Usman Colony, Khawaja Bagh, whose house was rendered uninhabitable due to the earthquake on October 8, 2005. The property was insured for Rs.13 lakhs against such eventualities, but the insurance company failed to fulfill its contractual obligation to compensate the complainants for the incurred losses.The judgment, delivered by the bench presided by President DCDRC Baramulla, Peerzada Qousar Hussain, and Member Judge Nyla Yaseen, found the insurance company guilty of unfair trade practices under Section 12 of the Consumer Protection Act 1985. The ruling now mandates the insurance company to fulfill its compensation obligations within a stipulated timeframe of 4 weeks.
Victory After 17-Year Struggle: Consumer Court Orders Compensation for 2005 Earthquake Victims
