Italy's airline asked to pay over Rs 71 lakh

NEW DELHI: The National Consumer Commission has asked Italy's M/s Alitalia Airlines to pay over Rs 71 lakh to a capital-based apparel exporter after finding it guilty of negligence in delivering a consignment to its client in Brazil.

"Opposite party (M/s Alitalia Airlines) was grossly negligent/ deficient in service in releasing the cargo on the basis of delivery order ... the forgery of this order is writ large as it is of the date on which even the cargo was not booked," Commission Bench of Justice K S Gupta and member Rajyalakshmi Rao said.

The Commission's order came on a complaint filed by Delhi-based Toy N Toy International, which accused the airline of delivering the consignment of ready-made garments without verifying the veracity of the receiver of cargo in 1997.

Appearing for the complainant, senior advocate O P Dua and M Sufian Siddiqui said that the airline had unauthorisedly released the cargo without payment being received by Banco Portuguese Do Atlantico, the consignee to whom the documents were sent for collection of money through Indian banker of the complainant.

The panel held that the complainant was entitled to refund of freight charges besides the value of the cargo.

A total of 346 cartons of powerloom shirts and bermudas weighing over 6,000 kgs was to be transported to Sao Paulo in Brazil through the Airlines for M/s Affari Italia.

However, the cargo was allegedly delivered without proper verification, forcing the company to approach the Commission for redressal of its grievances.