Ombudsman holds discom guilty, orders refund

The first ever order of the electricity ombudsman in the Capital has gone in favour of the consumer.

In its historic order passed recently, ombudsman Asha Mehra not only held the discom, BSES Rajdhani Power Limited, guilty of sending an inflated electricity bill in violation of the regulations, but also “quashed” the entire bill of a whopping Rs.7.75 lakhs. That is not all. The discom has been directed to refund Rs. 16,961.99 to the consumer from his earlier bills within a fortnight of issue of the order.

Although the former Chairman of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission, V.K. Sood, who was instrumental in setting up such a post in the Capital in the wake of privatisation of the power distribution network, welcomed the order, R.K. Bhutani — the consumer and a popular practising physician in Rajouri Garden in West Delhi — said he was “jubilant” but would at the same time seek revision in the order because the “refund” was less than what he had calculated.

Mr. Bhutani had approached Ms. Mehra at her office at Vasant Kunj in South Delhi last October after he failed to get “justice” from the various consumer grievance and redressal forums within and outside the discom. In his complaint, Mr. Bhutani had objected to the bill of Rs. 7.75 lakhs slapped by the BSES Rajdhani Power Limited. He claimed the discom had calculated the electricity bill considering that the building was rented during the period, whereas he had informed the power utility well in advance that the premises was vacant and was no more rented. “The discom imposed a misuse charge on us despite this,” he said.

The consumer also questioned the discom’s legal right to issue the bill and send it as arrears some two years after the actual date. While various consumer grievances and redressal forums are believed to have upheld the BSES Rajdhani Power Limited, Ms. Mehra in her order said the discom “should not” have sent such a huge bill in violation of the regulations concerned. “On perusal of records and hearing both the parties, I got the bill rectified and directed the discom to refund Rs. 16,961.99 to the consumer,” Ms. Mehra said.

Having received a few more complaints from the consumers, Ms. Mehra said any consumer who is “not satisfied” with the justice of consumer redressal forum can approach the office of the electricity ombudsman for resolving the dispute. Set up in August 2004, the office of the electricity ombudsman, a quasi-judicial body, is the highest public grievance forum in Delhi’s power sector. Its order can be challenged only in the Delhi High Court, she said.