MAPUSA
A court has ordered the State electricity department to pay Rs 5 lakh to a consumer for deficiency in service and causing mental tension and harassment due to its negligence.
The Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum at North Goa directed the power department to refund Rs 2.56 lakh with interest and another Rs 2 lakh as compensation to the consumer.
The forum also directed the department to pay Rs 50,000 towards cost of the complaint.
Passing grave strictures against the power department, the forum said the department which is an agency of the State government was required to act diligently, with reasonable care and had to be transparent while levying charges.
"The consumer should know the mode and manner in which the charges are levied. We find that the electricity department have unjustly collected lakhs of rupees from the complainant and attempted to cheat and defraud her," the forum said in a stinging observation.
The forum's observation came about on a complaint filed by Claudette Lobo of Feira Alta, Mapusa, who owned a residential house in Calangute with a domestic electricity connection.
The house was given on lease for a period of five years to British nationals from October 2004 to September 2009.
For some reason, the British nationals returned the possession of the house to the complainant in October 2008.
The complainant was taken by surprise when the electricity department slapped a bill of Rs 1 lakh odd amount for the period of November 16, 2008 to January 16, 2009, which included an amount of Rs 47,705 claimed as audit difference. The department again issued a new bill from January 15, 2009 to March 13, 2009 of Rs 1 lakh and once again included the audit difference of Rs 47,705.
Obtaining information through RTI, the complainant discovered that the department had shown the same meter reading for three years from March 2006 to March 2009, which indicated that the meter was faulty.
Secondly, the department had also begun charging commercial rates without intimating the complainant.
Further it was discovered that the commercial rate was applied arbitrarily despite the house had been found locked from March 2007 to July 2009.
The consumer forum president, S Vales and members Varsha Bale and A De Oliveira observed that it was a case of gross wilful and deliberate negligence on the part of the electricity department.
"Under the threat of disconnection the department collected huge amounts from the complainant without justification," the forum said.
The forum also observed that the department was not justified in charging commercial rates unilaterally and arbitrarily when the electricity connection released to the complainant was domestic.
It said the meter was not replaced in spite of repeated requests by the complainant but the department went on levying electricity charges.
It also observed that the complainant was not informed before levying audit difference charges.
A court has ordered the State electricity department to pay Rs 5 lakh to a consumer for deficiency in service and causing mental tension and harassment due to its negligence.
The Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum at North Goa directed the power department to refund Rs 2.56 lakh with interest and another Rs 2 lakh as compensation to the consumer.
The forum also directed the department to pay Rs 50,000 towards cost of the complaint.
Passing grave strictures against the power department, the forum said the department which is an agency of the State government was required to act diligently, with reasonable care and had to be transparent while levying charges.
"The consumer should know the mode and manner in which the charges are levied. We find that the electricity department have unjustly collected lakhs of rupees from the complainant and attempted to cheat and defraud her," the forum said in a stinging observation.
The forum's observation came about on a complaint filed by Claudette Lobo of Feira Alta, Mapusa, who owned a residential house in Calangute with a domestic electricity connection.
The house was given on lease for a period of five years to British nationals from October 2004 to September 2009.
For some reason, the British nationals returned the possession of the house to the complainant in October 2008.
The complainant was taken by surprise when the electricity department slapped a bill of Rs 1 lakh odd amount for the period of November 16, 2008 to January 16, 2009, which included an amount of Rs 47,705 claimed as audit difference. The department again issued a new bill from January 15, 2009 to March 13, 2009 of Rs 1 lakh and once again included the audit difference of Rs 47,705.
Obtaining information through RTI, the complainant discovered that the department had shown the same meter reading for three years from March 2006 to March 2009, which indicated that the meter was faulty.
Secondly, the department had also begun charging commercial rates without intimating the complainant.
Further it was discovered that the commercial rate was applied arbitrarily despite the house had been found locked from March 2007 to July 2009.
The consumer forum president, S Vales and members Varsha Bale and A De Oliveira observed that it was a case of gross wilful and deliberate negligence on the part of the electricity department.
"Under the threat of disconnection the department collected huge amounts from the complainant without justification," the forum said.
The forum also observed that the department was not justified in charging commercial rates unilaterally and arbitrarily when the electricity connection released to the complainant was domestic.
It said the meter was not replaced in spite of repeated requests by the complainant but the department went on levying electricity charges.
It also observed that the complainant was not informed before levying audit difference charges.
