Kolkata: Lake Gardens resident Utpal Roy, who was travelling on SpiceJet flight SG 161 from Srinagar to Jammu on June 30, has complained to the civil aviation ministry that his checked-in baggage did not arrive at Jammu and has demanded that the airline pay Rs 10 lakh to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund as compensation for the trouble.
The airline stated that the weather conditions had forced it to keep the luggage behind as it had weight restrictions during take off.
Roysaid the flight left Srinagar around 2.30 pm. According to him, passengers were asked after landing to collect bags but after waiting for about 45 minutes, the airline staff informed them that no luggage had arrived.
“In my luggage, there were official documents for my next appointments with the govt of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, nearly Rs 22,000 in cash, among other things,” Roy wrote in his complaint.
The flyer complained how could he move to his next destination at Dehradun, Lucknow, Kanpur and Patna without his belongings. Roy said he filed a Baggage Irregularity Report at Jammu airport and was assured that the luggage would reach within 48 hours. He claimed he was forced to abandon scheduled meetings and buy another ticket of a different airline from Jammu to Delhi and onward to Kolkata. He has written to civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, minister of state Murlidhar Mohol and other officials, seeking action. “My request is to kindly take appropriate steps against SpiceJet authority with a compensation of Rs 10 lakh which is directly transferred to the Prime Minister Relief Fund for the benefit of poor patients across the country,” Roy wrote. He also requested immediate delivery of luggage to his residence.
A spokesperson said the baggage had been left behind because of operational safety requirements.