The power distribution utility of Haryana has been pulled up by a consumer forum of Gurgaon for harassing a differently-abled man by raising wrong bills and have been asked to compensate him and overhaul his account on the basis of actual consumption.
The Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) was pulled up by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum which said: “The OP (DHBVN) has harassed the complainant, a handicap person by causing mental agony, thus, he is entitled to Rs.5,000 as compensation as well as litigation expenses.”
The Forum was hearing a complaint filed by Vijay Yadav, a deed writer, who worked from an office at Panchayat Bhawan, Gurgaon.
Mr. Yadav told a bench comprising Raghvinder Singh Bahmani and Jyoti Siwach that the incorrect bill pertains to the power meter installed at his office. He said the power consumption at his office was very low as it opened five days a week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. He submitted that the meter was defective and a complaint was made about it in June, 2007, but nothing was done. He further alleged that he has been paying the electricity bills regularly to the DHBVN and the last bill paid was of Rs.928, which was due for October 16, 2008.
Thereafter, the bills were issued in minus from December 2008 to December 2009 and thus there was no bill payable. On enquiry, the DHBVN said the amount paid by him is being adjusted and suddenly he received a bill in April 2010 showing sundry charges of Rs.95,800 and after adjustments, a sum of Rs.48,723 was demanded from him illegally even as the meter reading showed that the consumption of power from October 2008 to April 2010 was only 1,780 units, Mr. Yadav said in his complaint.
He asked the power distributor to rectify the bill, but it maintained that an amount of Rs.58,260 was wrongly refunded in the account of the complainant due to which the bills were being issued to him in minus. It said the meter installed at the Mr. Yadav’s office was changed and his account overhauled as per actual units consumed.
The Forum, however, noted that the DHBVN had not supported its arguments with any cogent evidence.
It directed that the compliance of its order be made within 30 days.
