BSES to pay Rs 2,000 for burdening customer with extra payment

Observing that the customer was "unnecessarily burdened" with extra payment due to the delay by BSES, the East District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, directed the discom to adjust the excess payment made by complainant against his future bills.

"We agree with complainant (Nafis Ahmed) that he has been unnecessarily burdened with the extra payment on account of delay on the part of the respondent. We allow this complaint and direct the respondent (BSES) to issue the bill with regard to the connection in question on the basis of domestic power..

"The excess amount paid by the complainant shall be adjusted in future bills. We further award a compensation of Rs 2,000 inclusive of the litigation charges," said the bench presided by N A Zaidi said.

The forum's order came on complaint by East Delhi resident Nafis Ahmed, who had alleged he ended up paying more for his electricity usage due to delay of over a year by the discom in converting his connection to the domestic category.

He said he had made the request for converting his power connection from non-domestic category to the domestic one on September 3, 2009 and a physical inspection of the site was done on September 8, 2009 by BSES which assured him that his power meter category would be changed in 15 days, but it never happened.

The discom in its reply had taken-up the plea that the delay had occurred because the house of the complainant was found locked.

The forum, however, said the discom had filed a copy of a report of inspection conducted by it and held there was "definitely some delay on the part of respondent (BSES) in granting the request made by the complainant".