The Pioneer 18.08.2010
MCC fined Rs 5,000 over unfair bill
PNS | Chandiagrh
UT Consumer Forum on Tuesday slapped a fine of `5,000 on Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh (MCC) for allegedly billing sundry charges for water consumption to a city resident.
Sumesh Chawla of city’s Sector 40 had filed a complaint in the city Consumer Forum on April 20 this year against MCC’s Public Health (water supply) wing alleging that the division charged him a bill of more than `1 lakh as miscellaneous charges against the actual bill, that he was liable to pay, of around `1,000 to the Corporation. Chawla alleged in his complaint that on January 5 this year, he had received a combined bill of electricity, water and sewerage charges for a sum of `1,12,909. The break of bill was `3,970 as consumption charges for electricity, `1,08,939 as water consumption and sewerage charges in which `1,07,809 had been shown as sundry charges for water consumption.
In his complaint, Chawla said, “There had been no balance against my account for the previous period. I was liable to pay `1,039.50 only.”
Although, the MCC officials responded to the complaint saying that the complainant was a sub-general power of attorney (GPA) holder of SCO 69, Sector-20 of the city and the above said SCO had been sanctioned a temporary water connection which was not applied for regular connection despite number of notices by them.
The MCC officials further stated that later the connection was disconnected but it also came to their notice that the water connection in the said SCO had been restored by the complainant without applying for the regular water connection and therefore, it was again disconnected.
Thereafter the amount charged in the bill was in lieu of the bill incurred on the usage of water in the said premises, said the MCC officials. But the Forum rejected the plea of MCC saying that as the complainant was a sub GPA holder of the SCO thus the amount was to be recovered from the GPA holders of the SCO not from the complainant who was not the owner of the said SCO.
The Forum directed the MCC to withdraw the sundry charges demanded from the complainant and pay him `5000 as compensation towards the mental and physical harassment caused to him alongwith `1,100 as costs of litigation.
