Orissa

Anugul

CC/6/2019

Sri Ruchira Kumar Das - Complainant(s)

Versus

ENZEN GLOBAL SOLUTIONS PVT. LTD - Opp.Party(s)

Deepak Kumar Pani

10 Nov 2022

ORDER

OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT CONSUMER DISPUTES REDRESSAL COMMISSION
ANGUL
 
Complaint Case No. CC/6/2019
( Date of Filing : 29 Jan 2019 )
 
1. Sri Ruchira Kumar Das
At/ P.O- Turanga, P.S /Dist-Angul
Angul
Odisha
...........Complainant(s)
Versus
1. ENZEN GLOBAL SOLUTIONS PVT. LTD
Represented through its Divisional Head,At-Gundichapada (Amalapada), P.O/P.S/Dist-Angul,Pin-759122,Odisha
Angul
Odisha
2. Central Electricity Supply Utility of Odisha
Represented through its Subdivisional Officer(Electrical) CESU, Angul Electrical Sub-Division, At/P.O/P.S/Dist-Angul,Pin-759122 ,Odisha
Angul
Odisha
3. ENZEN GLOBAL SOLUTIONS PVT. LTD
Represented through its S.D.O (Electrical), Angul Electrical Sub-Division, At-Gundichapada (Amalapada), P.O/P.S/Dist-Angul,Pin-759122,Odisha
Angul
Odisha
............Opp.Party(s)
 
BEFORE: 
 HON'BLE MR. Saroj Kumar Sahoo PRESIDENT
 HON'BLE MS. Sasmita Kumari Rath MEMBER
 
PRESENT:
 
Dated : 10 Nov 2022
Final Order / Judgement

 Sri S.K.Sahoo,President.

          This is a  petition U/s.12 of C.P.Act, 1986 filed by the  complainant.

2.       The case of the  complainant is that  he is  a honest consumer , who has been regularly paying the legitimate electricity dues to the  company of the opp.parties  since  the date of power supply to his  house  which was accepted by the opp.parties  without any objection. The initial connected load was 1 K.W and the category was domestic. The bills  were issued by the opp.parties as per actual consumption by  the  complainant . After  his retirement from Nalco, the company  presented one Air Conditioner to  him and the staffs  presented one geezer .Both the  electrical instruments were not installed at the time of alleged verification by  the opp.parties on 09.02.2017 . One  mechanical meter  installed in the house of the  complainant  by opp.party No.2 initially. The said meter was  subsequently  became  defective during the  year 2004. Since then  the  monthly bills were issued  to the  complaint on average consumption of 144 units  per month with  connected  load of 1 K.W. Since then the officers/staffs of the opp.parties regularly visiting the house of the  complainant in each  month and issued  the bill as per  actual  consumption made by him. He was also paying the bill amount regularly till February, 2022 .  Annexure- A is the  true  copy of the electricity bills and  payment particulars. On 09.02.2017 the  complainant was absent from his  house. Without any prior  intimation all  of a sudden  some persons  came  to the  house of  the complainant introduced themself as staff of opp.party No.2 & 3 and wanted to make  verification of the premises of the  complainant. The wife of the complainant  was reluctant  but  by threatening for  disconnection of the electric power  supply to the house of the  complainant, those persons managed to enter into the house  premises of the  complainant. After some time  they came  out  and  asked the wife of the complainant to sign on  some printed blank forms and threatened  the  wife of the complainant  to put  her signature .  Out of  fear of disconnection of electricity supply  the wife of the  complainant  put her signatures on the  printed blank forms. On 10.02.2017 the  complainant  personally met the opp.parties and  lodged his complaint with  a request to verify the  electrical  installation properly and  for installation  of  anew meter  for  installation  of  a new meter  immediately. On 16.02.2017 the opp.parties issued  the bill   for the  month of February, 2017  with  average  consumption of 144 units  and the   same  day the  complainant  deposited an amount of Rs. 1000.00  in the office of the opp.parties. On 16.03.2017  again the opp.parties issued an energy  bill for the  month of March, 2017  with  average consumption of 432 units  per  month   by  showing  the connected  load of 4 K.W and the  status of the meter is defective one. The said bill was issued  without any  basis and  inspite of  protest by the complainant.  From March, 2017 to May, 2017  the  bills were  submitted to the  complainant with average consumption of 432  units per month. In the  month  of March, 2017  the complainant   purchased  one  new Genus Meter and submitted to the opp.parties with meter testing  fee of Rs. 100.00. On 21.05.2017 the said meter was installed  in the  house premises of the  petitioner. On 20.06.2017 the energy bill for the  month of June, 2017  was issued to the  complainant with actual consumption of  117 units. The opp.parties also  added  an additional amount of Rs. 42,879.46  along with  current  dues  in the  energy bill for the  month of June, 2017. The said calculation  is illegal and arbitrary . The  photo copy  of the  bill dtd. 20.06.2017 for the  month of June, 2017 is Annexure-B. On 13.07.2017  the complainant lodged a  written complaint  before the  Manager(Electrical) CESU ,Angul  in which he had  challenged the  illegal  verification made by the  staffs  with a request  to  withdraw  the additional amount  of Rs. 42,879.46 .The  copy   of the said   complaint is  Annexure- C. On 24.07.2017  the Manager (Electrical ) CESU,Angul  by his letter No. 8767 dtd. 24.07.2017  forwarded the written complaint  of the  complainant to opp.party No.1  for inquiry and taking necessary action. The photocopy of the  said letter  of Manager (Electrical)  CESU ,Angul is  Annexure- D.  As no  action was  taken  , the complainant  on 20.09.2017  again filed  a written complaint  before the  Manager(Electrical) CESU, Angul with   the same  request  as earlier. The  photo  copy of the said  letter is  Annexure- E. By letter No. 15198 dtd. 21.09.2017  the  Manager(Electrical) CESU, Angul requested to opp.party No.1 for  immediate redressal of  grievance of the  complainant  but  no action was taken. Annexure- F  is  the  photo copy of the said letter  of Manager (Electrical) CESU, Angul. Neither  any  authorise letter  of Odisha Ltd.  nor any  physical verification report was handed over to the complainant.

          As per the  notification dtd. 25.01.2013 of IPR Department  of  Govt. of Odisha and agreement dtd. 31.01.2013 executed  by CESU  officials   and Dist. Administration with the Enzen Kriyanustan Committee , the opp.party No.3 has been debarred to operate  in Angul and Dhenkanal Districts. Due to public agitation  against opp.party No.3 , the supply, maintenance, supervision , collection and  preparation of bills were taken over by CESU by  intervention  ofthe Dist.Administration. The  photo copy  of  said  notification is Annexure-G. Therefore the opp.party No.1 & 3 have no authority to submit  the  energy  bill to the  complainant  in the month of June, 2017. The Hon'ble High Court  of Odisha has also observed that the Enzen Authority has no power to make any physical verification  and assessment as per section-126.

          The complainant has  prayed for necessary  direction   to the opp.parties  not to disconnect the  power supply to his house, to declare the   physical verification dtd. 09.02.2017 relating to  consumer No. 01122732 null and  void, to withdrawal the additional amount of Rs.  42,879.46 from the bill of June, 2017, to revise  the  load factor  from  the  bills for the  month of March, 2017 to May, 2017 in respect of  the  above consumer number , to pay compensation of Rs. 1,00,00.00 ,to pay  litigation expenses of Rs. 10,000.00  along with  any other reliefs.

3.         Notices were  served all the opp.parties  on 30.01.2019 . Learned counsel  Sri S.K.Pattanayak  and  others appeared  on behalf of opp.party No.1. Opp.party No. 2 & 3 neither appeared  nor  submitted  their  written statement. Although opp.party No.1 took time  to file written statement  on several occasion  didnot   file the same, for which all the opp.parties were set-exparte on 09.01.2019.

4.     During  hearing neither the  complainant  nor the opp.parties adduced  evidence both oral or in affidavit form . Hence the Commission is  to pass order  on  perusal of the documents on record and hearing the  argument  on behalf of the  complainant.

5.       On perusal of the  complaint petition it  transpires  that the  complainant  is  a consumer  under the opp.parties since last 38 years  having old  consumer No. AC-301- 0684  corresponding  to  new  consumer No. 01122732 .  After  his  retirement  from Nalco  the  complainant and  his family  members  are residing  in his  residence  at   village Turang    during    January, 2017. It further  transpires that the  complaint  was  having  connected load of  1 K.W  to his  residential house and it  was  a domestic  connection. It is also clear from  the complaint petition and  from the  photo copy  of  consumer  billing ledger  that from 23.12.2013  the meter  fixed  in the  residential  house of the  complainant  was defective and there  was average  billing  of 144 units till  16.2.2017. It is alleged  by the  complainant that on 09.02.2017  while he  was absent  in his  house  some persons entered  inside his  house by  dis closing  their identity as employees of opp.party No.1 & 3 and  thereafter  on 16.03.2017, 17.04.2017 and  20.05.2017 the opp.parties  enhanced the  unit  consumed  as 576.

6.       Inspite of notice  opp.party No.2 & 3  did not appear  before this Commission  nor contested the  case. Although  opp.party No.1  appeared  through  advocate and  took  time to file  show cause, he didn’t  turn-up to file  written statement and  contest  the case.

7.       On  perusal of the  photo  copy of the consumer  billing ledger   it  appears that on 20.06.2017 and  thereafter the unit  consumed by the  complainant  was  normal , such  as 117,206,149,73,116,102,98, 153, 87 etc. and  those bills were  issued   basing on actual reading of the meter. During  hearing the  complainant has  filed  photocopy  of  consumer billing ledger from January, 2017  to August, 2022. On perusal of the said  extract   photo copy  of consumer billing ledger it  is clear that  that since June, 2017  the  meter  was functioning and bills were issued basing  on actual consumption till August, 2022.  In the  month of August, 2022 the units consumed  143. There is no reason  why the average  unit  calculated by the  opp.parties in  the  month of March, 2017 ,April, 2017 and May, 2017  as 576  unit  per month. As the opp.parties  did not  appear before  this  Commission  it is not  known  basing on  which materials  the  average  units  per  month was 576 only for  three months, where  as  from December, 2013 to August, 2022  it  was  normal  one. So the  claim of the  opp.parties  basing on  such calculation  of  average  units for the   month of March, April and May, 2017  has   no basis at all . The  claim of an  amount  more than  actual  consumption  as shown  from the  photo  copy of  billing ledger filed by the  complainant  is illegal and  without  any  basis. So  the opp.parties  are to receive the  actual  bill amount  as  per the  units consumed  by the  complainant.

8.       The   claim   of Rs. 42,879.46  by the   opp.parties  from  the complainant  during the  month of June, 2017 is  arbitrary , illegal for  which  the  complainant is not  bound to pay the  same. The opp.parties are restrained to  claim  such amount along with  any other  amount from the  complainant   which  is  not based  on the actual  consumption by  the  complainant.

9.       From the  record  it is also  clear  that the  complainant has filed  written complaint before the CESU on 14.07.2017, 20.09.2017  and   some  other dates. All  his approach  both oral and  written does not  yield  any result. On the  other hand the  complainant was  forced to file the present  litigation by engaging  an advocate for  last  three years. From the documents on record it is clear that there is gross deficiencies in the service of the opp.parties. So it is clear that the  complainant and  his family  members were subjected to  mental agony  due to the illegal demand of the  opp.parties. Hence the   complainant  is  entitled  for  compensation for  mental agony and litigation expenses.

8.       Hence the  order :-

: O R D E R :

          The   complaint  filed  by the  complainant is  allowed  against  all the opp.parties. The  opp.parties  are directed to realise  the tariff  from the  complainant as per the actual consumption  shows in the bills  issued by  the opp.parties. They are not  entitled to realise  the  excess  amount i.e   Rs.42,879.46 (Rupees Forty-Two Thousand Eight Hundred Seventy Nine point Forty Six paisa ) only   claimed from the  complainant. The opp.parties are  jointly  and severally liable to pay an amount of Rs. 20,000.00 (Rupees Twenty Thousand)  to the  complainant   for  mental agony  and Rs. 5,000.00 (Rupees Five Thousand) only    towards   litigation  expenses. The opp.parties  are directed to comply  the  order  within  one month from the  date  of   receiving this order  from this  Commission, failing which  the complainant is  at  liberty  to approach this Commission  for  execution.

 
 
[HON'BLE MR. Saroj Kumar Sahoo]
PRESIDENT
 
 
[HON'BLE MS. Sasmita Kumari Rath]
MEMBER
 

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