The grievance of the complainant is that she has deposited an amount of Rs. 17,170/- of bill dated 27.9.2018 issued by the opposite parties through online. The complainant further argued that the opposite parties sent a bill dated 14.7.2020 amounting to Rs. 41,160/- included Rs. 17,170/- as sundry charges, which is wrong but she has already deposited an amount of Rs. 17,170/- with the OPs vide online  on 27.9.2018. The opposite has also sent a message regarding the deposit of the amount. Online receipt is also in the possession of complainant. The complainant visited several times to the office of opposite parties to get rectify the electricity bill but they did not give any response and threatened the complainant to disconnect the electric connection. The complainant prayed for issuance of a direction to the opposite parties to get rectify the bill and to pay a sum of Rs. 50,000/- as compensation for physical and mental harassment and Rs. 3000/- as litigation costs.

The defence of the opposite parties is that the complainant has not come before this Commission with clean hands and she has knowingly filed the present complaint on frivolous grounds and on the basis of self-concocted story. National Payment Corporation of India has informed to the department (PSPCL) that due to system error in Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) during the period 25th t0 27th September 2018, confirmation/acknowledgment of electricity bill payments were sent to some consumers without charging/debit the bill amount to these consumer's bank account/wallets/cards, instead of “failure” transaction status, a successful transaction response was conveyed to the consumers. 

The counsel for OPs further submitted that the payment amounts were not debited from COU( customer BBPOU), the same were not settled/remitted to BOU ( Biller Operating Unit i.e Paytm). AT PSPCL end, the amounts of those transactions were auto debited form the pre-paid wallet account of the service provider i.e Paytm. These transactions have been duly posted to the concerned consumers account and their bill payment receipts have also been generated by PSPCL. The counsel for OPs submitted that the complainant had made the attempt to pay a bill of Rs. 17,170/- through online channel on 27.9.2018 but due to online system error payment was not credited with the department. But due to technical error instead of generation of “failure” transaction receipt, wrong receipt of “successful” transaction was generated by system. However, lateron when the said error came into the notice of the department a letter No.294 dated 6.8.2020 was issued to the complainant in respect of non-clearance of payment in respect of Account No. BT410316M. The amount of the bill is not debited from the account from which the complainant alleged the payment is made and therefore the said amount is also not credited with the PSPCL. As such,the department is legally entitled to recover the amount of unpaid bill from the complainant. 

Heard. Exhibit OP-1 is a photocopy of letter No.3403 dated 5.2.2020 issued by the Accounts Officer/BM,Office of Joint Financial Advisor-I, PSPCL, Patiala to Addl.SE/DS, Budhladad regarding the reversal of Online Bill Payment transactions of BBPS-NPCL. We have perused the letter No.3403 dated 5.2.2020. Vide this letter National Payment Corporation of India has informed that 

“due to system error in Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) during the period 25th to 27th September, 2018, confirmation/acknowledgment of electricity bill payments were sent to some consumers without charging/debit the bill amount to those consumers bank accounts/wallet/cards, instead of “failure” transaction status a successful transaction response was conveyed to the consumers.”

It is further informed in this letter that;

Now to return the transaction amounts to BOU i.e Paytm, it is requested to get issue the notice/intimation to respective consumers to pay the bill amount and got charge the same amount without late payment surcharge/interest to concerned consumers account through Sundry Charges register.  

In compliance of the above-said letter dated 5.2.2020 the Assistant Executive Engineer, Sub-Division, Budhlada issued a letter No.294 dated 6.2.2020 ( Exhibit OP-2 ) to the complainant Indra Rani for clearance the payment of account No. BT410316M. It is mentioned in the letter that an amount of Rs. 17170/- which was deposited by the complainant did not debit from her account. As such, the above-said amount is payable within two days from the receipt of the letter, failing which the amount will be charged to your account without issuing any notice. The complainant has not placed on record any reply regarding the said letter. It is proved that all the facts were in the knowledge of the complainant.

The complainant has also placed on file payment receipts Exhibit C-2 & C-3 (photocopies). From the perusal of the documents we feel that the complainant has suppressed the material facts and she made a concocted story. The complainant has not placed on record her bank account statement for proving that the amount of the bill was debited from her account or not. The complainant has preferred to file a complaint with this Commission instead of making the payment of electricity bill of Rs. 17,170/- with the OPs. 

For the reasons record above, the complaint has no merit and the same stands dismissed with no order as to costs. File be indexed and consigned to record.