Orissa

Jagatsinghapur

CC/35/2020

Babuli Sahoo - Complainant(s)

Versus

E.E, Electrical , CESU - Opp.Party(s)

Mr.D.Choudhury

07 Sep 2022

ORDER

                                                                                     JUDGMENT

 

            Complainant has filed this consumer complaint U/s.12 of C.P. Act, 1986 seeking following reliefs;

            “Direct the opposite parties to waive out the illegal electric bills charged against the complainant”.

            The brief fact of the case is that the complainant is an inhabitant of village Jankoti under Jagatsinghpur police station and his father namely Late Natabar Sahoo is a consumer under Electrical Division of Jagatsinghpur having consumer No.03064041 till now. The complainant father took electric connection since 1977 and the bill was Rs.30/- per month at that time and he regularly paid the electric bills. In the year 2004 the father of the complainant (who is the consumer) expired and the name of the person still in the record of the opposite parties (it reveals in the bill of December 2019 and notice of the opposite parties which was issued on 20.12.2019).

            During the super cyclone period the meter was defunct and the complainant requested opposite parties to replace the old defective meter and install a new tested meter, but instead of replacing old defective meter the complainant was given electric bills as per average basis which was much more than actual consumption. In the year 2004 a new meter was installed in the premises of the complainant and a bill was issued by opposite parties on 21.5.2004 for 16 months (from 2/2003 to 5/2004) as per actual consumption of 2437 units in which arrear of Rs.23,659/- is mentioned. Opposite parties issued a notice on 20.12.2019 regarding outstanding against the complainant is Rs.24,597/- along with disconnection notice, hence this complaint.

            The complainant filed Xerox copy of the following documents in support of consumer complaint;

1. Electric bill for the month of May, 2004.
2. Electric bill of December, 2019.
3. Notice of electric dept. dt.20.12.2019.

 

Notice was issued to the opposite parties on 11.3.2020. The opposite parties submitted a time petition on 18.02.2020 for submission of para wise reply against misc case No.32/2020 arising out of C.C. No.35/2020 and requested for 30 days time by the deputy Manager, Electric Sub-Division, Jagatsinghpur, but after that no written version was submitted by the opposite parties, hence opposite parties were set ex-parte vide order No.24 dt.13.5.2022.

It is clear fact that the complainant was given the bills on as per average basis not in actual basis and all of a sudden after installation of meter gave 16 months bills (from 2/2003 to 5/2004) how the opposite parties calculate the actual consumption is a matter of question. So it is clear negligence and deficiency of service on the part of opposite parties. On the other hand how the name of a deceased person is mentioned in the electric bill. As such it is clear that the opposite parties did not give any proper service to its consumer.

 

However taking into consideration the facts of both sides we set-aside the impugned notice dated 20.12.2019 Annexure (1) and remanded the matter to the opposite parties to mention the name of the legal heir of the deceased electric consumer and transfer the same to complainant to claim legal heir and recalculate the bill and the same may be settled between the parties as per rules and guidelines covering the field. With the aforesaid observation and direction the consumer complaint is disposed of.

 

            Pronounced in the open Commission on this 7^th Sept., 2022.