Chandigarh, January 9 – The Haryana Right to Service (RTS) Commission has directed the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN), Panchkula to grant a compensation of Rs 3,000 over a delay in providing a notified service to a consumer.
While giving this information here today, a spokesperson of the Commission said Sh. Rajesh Yadav, a resident of Jhajjar district, had approached the Commission regarding replacement of his old meter. After lodging a complaint on July 18, 2024, he received a call from the Nigam that his new meter had arrived and would be replaced within 2-3 days. However, no action was taken in this regard. Instead, the complainant alleged that he received a call from the concerned JE stating that no meter was available in the store and that his meter could not be replaced. From the complainant’s account, it appeared that the JE was seeking illegal gratification, causing delays in the installation of the new meter. The complainant further alleged that the concerned SDO fabricated a document by sending a satisfaction letter purportedly signed by one Sh. Jai Parkash Yadav, who, according to the complainant, was neither a tenant nor an employee at the premises.
The Commission carefully considered all the facts and circumstances of the case. It was only after an appeal was filed with the Commission that the meter was finally replaced on November 26, 2024.
It said for a service that is supposed to be delivered within 3 days in urban areas, it took more than 4 months to provide the same, adding that UHBVN is clearly responsible for this delay. It is neither the concern of the complainant/consumer nor the Commission that meters are unavailable. Once a service has been notified, the UHBVN must take all possible steps to ensure adequate supply of meters in its stores. It has been generally observed that the Material Management (M&M) wings of the power utilities are not ensuring the availability of necessary material in their stores, which causes delays in the delivery of notified service, the Commission observed.
Hence, the Commission, exercising its powers under Section 17(1)(h) of the Haryana Right to Service Act, 2014 (hereinafter referred to as the ‘Act’), awarded a compensation of Rs. 3,000 to the consumer, which should be paid by the UHBVN from its funds. The UHBVN is free to recover this amount from the defaulting officials who failed to ensure the availability of LT/CT meters in their stores. This amount should either be adjusted in the consumer’s account by UHBVN or transferred to the consumer’s bank account. The concerned XEN has been directed to send a compliance report of these orders to the Commission by January 25, 2025.
At the same time, a serious issue in this case is the creation of a fake satisfaction letter on behalf of the complainant. The Commission directed the XEN, Bahadurgarh, to investigate the same and submit a report in this matter by January 24, 2025. The XEN has also been directed to confirm whether any LT/CT meters were available in the stores after July 18, 2024. If they were, the XEN should confirm whether the meters were installed according to priority or they were installed at the whims and fancies of the JE, the Commission ordered.
The MDs of both UHBVN and DHBVN have also been told to review the stock situation of their stores and ensure availability of the same for delivery of notified services.
