ARBITRARY BILLING WITHOUT METER READING AND SERVICE OF BILL, EXCESS PAYMENT MADE & NOT REFUNDED

GRIEVANCES

SUB: ARBITRARY WITH HOLDING OF CONSUMER’S PAID MONEY UNDER
PROTEST AN AMOUNT OF RS 1028561/-(RUPEES TEN LAKHS
TWENTY EIGHT THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY ONE ONLY)
TO NBPDCL (BSEB) UNDER PROTEST FOR ARBITRARY BILL RAISED
WITHOUT ANY METER READING & WITHOUT ANY DISCONNECTION
NOTICE OR DISCONNECTION DURING THE PERIOD INVOLVED.
REF : DOMESTIC ELECTRICITY SUPPLY CONNECTION OF 1 KW WITH
ELECTRIC METER NO.4035701 WITH INITIAL READING 0009.5
AND DETAILS OF SEAL 407276970 INSTALED ON 15.12.2005

DEAR SIRS,
With reference to the above, a grievance and complaint against NBPDCL (BSEB) now Essel, Muzaffarpur is being raised for an arbitrary electricity energy and other charges billed to the tune of Rs.1028561/-(Rupees ten lakhs twenty eight thousand and five hundred sixty one only) by the erstwhile NBPDCL, BSEB now Essel, Muzaffarpur.
HISTORY: 1 (one) KW (Domestic) electricity supply connection with New Electronic Meter No 4035701 with initial reading 0009.5 and details of seal 407276970 installed on 15.12.2005 and supply of electricity started from the same date at the consumer’s house. But thereafter, no electric consumption bill with meter reading had been supplied or received by the consumer nor any power disconnection had been made to the consumer. On enquiry from the electricity department from time to time it had been conveyed to make payment when the bill is generated & sent. After the lapse of more than 7 (seven) years i.e. a period from 15.12.2005 to 28.05.2013 neither any bill came nor any disconnection made and all of sudden one fine morning the power had been disconnected on 29.05.2013. On making enquiry on 31.05.2013 from the concerned authority it was provided with a bill of an accrued amount of Rs !028561/- as reason for the disconnection of power supply and had been asked to deposit the amount for the restoration of power supply.
Since the consumer’s house was demolished for the reconstruction purpose, the power was indeed needed immediately and on urgent basis. As such we deposited the said amount after borrowing the same under protest and represented the case as under:
1. Firstly, a petition under protest submitted to DGM (Trihut) area Electricity Board(TAEB) and submitted the grievance and concerns under the protest, too. Accordingly DGM (Trihut) referred the matter ESE, TAEB , to look into the matter on 5.06.2013.(Annexure I)
2. Secondly on no response from the concerned authority the consumer represented his case before The Chairperson Electricity Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum , Muzaffarpur on 06.06.2013 vide case no.35/13.(Annexure II)
3. Thereafter, after continuing the issues there from 06.06.2013 till 15.01.2018 a judgment has been forwarded to the consumer through email without redressing the grievances and complaint of the consumer as if nothing had taken place and thereby a loss of money has accrued to the consumer from Rs 1028561/ to almost double due to the loss of interest on the aforesaid amount paid under protest without any justice till the period involved.
4. Under the circumstances the consumer prays to submit this grievance as under with the folded hands before Hon’ble Consumer Court under the following submissions:
i)A domestic new power connection on application dated 02.11.2005 was provided with electric connection with meter make no.4035701 on 15..12.2005 on the domestic connection of 1KW with the security money of Rs300/-only. There was no transfer case of any previous outstanding neither any previous outstanding during the period involved was communicated. From 15.12.2005 till 28.05.2013 neither any bill with meter reading came nor any notice for disconnection of electricity made and surprisingly no power disconnection also made during that period. The Consumer then started reconstructing of his house after demolition of the house through a builder and suddenly out of a blue the power connection was disconnected 29.05.2013. On enquiry it had been told that an outstanding amount of Rs1028561/- was due to be paid on 1 KW domestic power connection. Since the consumer needed power supply immediately in course of the reconstruction of the house the consumer paid the amount after borrowing from the market under protest with representation and filing of grievance with DGM Trihut Area Electricity Board and then subsequently in the court of Chairperson and members Electricity Consumer Grievance Re-dressal Forum to make the correction of bill and the refund the extra charged. After a lapse of about four years i.e. a period from 06.06.2013 to 15.01.2018 no justice has been given on the protest and grievance of the consumer, thereby incurring a very heavy loss to the consumer with this judgment . Consumer’s GRIEVANCE persist with protest further that:
i) Why Bill with Meter reading had not been served to the consumer from 15.12.2005 till 29.05.2013 periodically? What is official periodicity of raising the bill to the consumer?
ii) Why Electricity was not disconnected in between if bills were served and not paid during the period from 15.12.2005 till 28.05.2013 by the consumer, if any?
iii) Why at the time of surrendering of the Electric Meter Make no.4035701 with meter readings were not recorded and why meter readings not provided to the consumer while on the surrendering of the same with the adjustment of any due amount?
iv) Is The Electricity Department under the electricity rules as an interest on interest raising Government body and finally harassing the consumer with heavy loading of electricity bill in one go?
v) If consumer has got the responsibility to pay the bill in time then electricity department has also got responsibility to raise the bill in time with actual meter reading periodically so that consumer pay the bill accordingly in time as per periodical consumption, thereafter without any harassment. Why only lump sum one go amount have been raised & shown as averages in the bill with interest on interest after lapse of about seven years without showing any meter reading consumption on the record of the electricity bill statements which were not given subsequently even on demand after the lapse of about seven and half years?
vi) Why so much delay in time frame i.e. after the lapse of about four and half years which took on the re-dressal of the grievance to consumer in the designated grievance re-dressal forum of the electricity department thereby a loss of interest on the deposited amount?
vii) Why One time benefit of the scheme declared in 2014 by the Government of Bihar has also not been allowed and referred by the grievance forum during the pendency of the grievance in the judgment?
viii) On perusal from the bill NBPDCL(BSEB) through Essel have uploaded others’ outstanding bill wrongly at my bill as there is mismatch of meter number installed and removed by them and meter number mentioned in the face of bill.
Installed Meter No. i) ELECTRIC METER NO.4035701 WITH INITIAL READING 0009.5
AND DETAILS OF SEAL 407276970 INSTALED ON 15.12.2005
SURRENDERED ON 12.01.2014 WITHOUT CLOSING METER
READING; ii) NEW METER NO. INSTALLED C1008854/1 WITHOUT
THE CONSENT OF THE CONSUMER,
iii) Meter No. on Bill and on Billing Date : Bill date 06.05.2013; Past Reading 13227 ; present
Reading ‘0’, Unit Billed 40; Meter No. NIL; Consumer
ID MU 14130; Book No. 38; Account No.K11986
ix) If at all it is presumed that past meter reading is 13227 as per past reading, the consumer is only liable to make payment up to 13227 units only. But question is that why Electricity Department had allowed to compile the above units even up to 13227 on 1KW connection without disconnection of power if no payment had been made during the period by the consumer. Is the department an interest on interest raising/earning organization?

x) Since the issues are very old the consumer could not trace his papers properly specifically after demolition of our building for the reconstruction purpose except the installation paper.
xi) Now it is prayed to refund the money wrongly charged and paid by the consumer under the coercion to the tune of Rs1028561/- ( Rupees ten lakhs twenty eight thousand and five hundred and sixty one only) with market rate of interest immediately and forthwith. This amount was deposited under protest and subsequently it was noted that in absence of appropriate record of meter reading and not also conveyed to the consumer at any time as per the periodicity of bill by the electricity department even at the time of deposit of the aforesaid amount after the lapse of about seven and half years to be refunded with all due interest. This amount was deposited only when electricity department insisted, coerced and harassed the consumer before the restoring of the energy connection. The reconstruction of the house of the consumer, at that time, remained withheld and stopped in absence of such abrupt power disconnection. If at all the consumer had any intention to not to pay any due why the consumer had deposited the money under the good faith to the Electricity Department with no justice till date!
The Consumer submits the above grievances for immediate re-dressal with justice to refund the due money charged wrongly by the Electricity Department.