LUDHIANA IMPROVEMENT TRUST Vs. SURINDER SINGH

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This First Appeal, under Section 19 read with Section 21(a)(ii) of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 (for short "the Act"), has been filed by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust, Opposite Party No.2 in the Complaint, against order dated 18.02.2014, passed by the Punjab State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission at Chandigarh (for short "the State Commission") in Complaint No.36 of 2009.

(2.) The Complaint was filed by Respondent No.1, complaining that since her land, admeasuring 9 Marla, had been acquired, the Appellant Trust and the State had failed to allot to her, a Locally Displaced Person, a suitable plot under the Scheme known as 'Maharishi Balmik Nagar 256 Acre Development Scheme' floated by them, in contravention of the policy letter, dated 19.05.2006, issued by the Government of Punjab. She prayed for a direction to the Appellant to allot a suitable plot of area measuring 500 sq. yards in the said Scheme, for which the land was acquired, or in any other equally developed Scheme, if the plots are not available in the Scheme. Besides, a compensation of ?44 Lakhs with interest from the date of the Complaint and costs was also prayed for.

(3.) On consideration of the evidence adduced by the parties before it, the State Commission, while accepting the Complaint, directed the Opposite Parties, i.e. the Appellant and Respondent No.2, the State Government, to allot to Respondent No.1/Complainant a plot next below 9 Marlas (wrongly written as 0.9 Marlas but later corrected vide order dated 24.09.2014) in their Scheme, at the reserve price fixed by them at the time of filing the Complaint. The Opposite Parties were further directed to pay to the Complainant a sum of ?30,000/- as compensation on account of deficiency in service on their part and ?10,000/- as litigation expenses.