Power Company asked to cough up Rs 17,000 for deficient service

A state-owned power company in Maharashtra has been ordered by a consumer court here to pay Rs 17,000 to a consumer for its deficient services.

Thane District Consumer Redressal Forum president Sneha Mhatre and members Madhuri Vishwarupe and N D Kadam, in their order issued yesterday, directed the division office of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDC) to make the payment within next two months.

Complainant Sujay Nandlal Mayekar, a resident of Nala Sopara in Vasai of Palghar district, told the forum that he received a bill for Rs 150 for November-December 2013 which he paid vide a cheque drawn on Jaoli Sahakari Bank, Mumbai.

But, to his surprise, the power company in the next bill showed an outstanding and made a demand of Rs 640, including a penalty of Rs 350.

Later, without informing him, the MSEDC disconnected power supply to his tenement for four months. As a result, his sleep got disturbed, he got up late and reached office late due to which he lost his job, the complainant claimed.

The power company informed him that the cheque deposited by him had been returned by bank stating wrong delivery and not drawn on it.

Later, it transpired that MSEDC had sent the cheque for clearance to Bank of Maharashtra instead of Jaoli Sahakari Bank, due to a mix-up in the cheque's MICR number.

The forum observed that the MSEDC was deficient in its services in disconnecting the power, making wrong demand and also levying penalty for which it needs to pay a compensation to the complainant.

The forum directed that the MSEDC's Achole division office in Vasai should pay Rs 15,000 to the complainant for mental suffering and Rs 2,000 towards the legal expenses.

On the second defendant, the head office of MSEDC at Bandra, the forum observed that since it does not have any direct involvement in the dispatch of cheque for clearance and disconnection of power, it is being exonerated.