NRI gets compensated after being duped over land deal

Kolkata: State Consumer Affairs minister Sadhan Pande on Monday handed over a cheque of Rs 7.90 lakh to an NRI, who is presently lodged in London, duped with the promise of getting a land on the southern fringes of the city.

"Octogenarian Dilip Bakshi had written to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from London stating that the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has recently upheld a verdict of the state consumer forum and urged her to make arrangements for paying the compensation amount for being unable to hand over his land within the promised time. I was instructed by the CM's office to do the needful and I acted accordingly," Pande said.

The minister handed over a cheque of Rs 7.9 lakh to Bakshi's brother Sudip Bakshi, who accepted the cheque on behalf of his elder brother.

He is presently settled in Baishnabghata area. Dilip had purchased a plot of land at Pailan on the southern fringes of the city and had moved the state forum in 2012 over the inordinate delay in handing over the land. After the verdict of compensation in the state forum, the land owner moved to higher forums challenging the verdict.

"On behalf of my elder brother, I sincerely thank the Chief Minister and the Consumer Affairs department," Sudip Bakshi said.