PNGRB to decide on deposits from consumers: Gujarat High Court

The Gujarat High Court directed the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) today to decide the legality of the Rs 500 deposit amount, charged by Adani Gas Ltd, from consumers using Piped Natural Gas (PNG) connections for domestic use.
The direction came from a Gujarat High Court division bench comprising acting Chief Justice V M Sahai and Justice R P Dholaria on a public interest litigation (PIL) which alleged that Adani Gas Ltd has been charging an additional amount of Rs 500 as "security deposit" from its piped gas customers.
This was after the PNGRB filed an affidavit before the Gujarat High Court division bench stating that the decision of charging such a deposit from domestic PNG users is under the Board's consideration.

The PIL filed by three city-based social activists Dhanesh Desai, Sanjay Raval and Bharat Shah, through their advocate S H Iyer, had demanded that Adani Gas Ltd be restrained from collecting any "security deposit".
The petition alleged the additional amount collected by Adani Gas Ltd as "security deposit" is absolutely illegal as well as unauthorised and cannot be imposed on consumers of piped natural gas in the city.
The plea said the gas company has been charging the amount which is not mentioned in the tariff determined by PNGRB, the regulatory body.

"PNGRB has not passed any decision or order permitting collection of additional 'security deposit' from customers for PNG connections," the petition said.

The petitioner had also demanded a direction to PNGRB against Adani Gas and sought refund of the Rs 500 collected from its consumers with interest.
During the arguments, Adani Gas Ltd had stressed a similar issue has been pending before PNGRB and therefore this petition should not be entertained.
Adani Gas Ltd had also submitted that other piped natural gas providers charge their customers more.