Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh –
The Haryana Right to Service Commission, while hearing the complaint of a Rohtak electricity consumer, has ordered a symbolic fine of Rs 1000 to be imposed on an accountant and compensation of Rs 5,000 to the consumer. A spokesperson of the Commission said the Commission found in the investigation that there was a delay of about one year in updating the consumer's meter change order in the system.
It is noteworthy that the meter change order was updated by the department on June 11, 2023, yet the error remained in the consumer's bill, due to which he had to repeatedly lodge complaints and visit the office. Later, in May 2024, the sundry adjustment was ready, but due to error in calculation, it could be approved only on November 29, 2024. This error was ultimately rectified only with the intervention of the Commission. The Commission termed it as very unfortunate that such a simple case could not be resolved at the level of First Grievance Redressal Authority or Second Grievance Redressal Authority.
It was possible only due to the auto appeal system started by the Haryana Right to Service Commission that a consumer and his son could send their complaint to the Commission from home without any additional cost and they could get a total refund of Rs 15,838 and Rs 16,330, out of which Rs 16,330 was received only as a result of the intervention of the Commission.
The Commission has ordered that an amount of Rs 6,000 be deducted from the salary of the concerned accountant for June 2025 and Rs 1,000 be deposited in the state fund and Rs 5,000 be adjusted in the consumer's bill or transferred to his bank account. Instructions have been given to ensure this payment by obtaining bank details from the consumer.
Apart from this, the Commission has also advised the Junior Engineer working as Second Grievance Redressal Authority-cum-XEN and First Grievance Redressal Authority to take consumer complaints seriously at the primary level itself and ensure timely resolution so that common citizens do not have to approach the Commission.