BABITA RANI Vs. PUNJAB STATE ELECTRICITY BOARD

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS is an appeal filed by the complainants (in short the appellants ) against the order dated 27.6.2003 of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Ludhiana (in short the District Forum ) by which the complaint of the complainant was partly allowed by the District Forum.

(2.) BRIEF facts of the complaint are that appellant No. 1 applied for new DS electric connection vide Book No. 022, R.No. 471 dated 27.8.1996 by depositing Rs. 480 as security. Appellant No. 2 was beneficiary and the user of that connection. The opposite party (in short the respondent ) installed the connection after one year and that was the negligence on the part of the respondent. The respondent issued first bill dated 15.1.2001 for Rs. 1,191 i.e., after about four years but had not mentioned the new and old meter reading. It was pleaded that in that bill Account No. was shown as IF66/0155N which was in the name of appellant No. 2 Tarsem Lal and not in the name of Babita Rani. In the next bill dated 17.12.2001 i.e. for A/c No. IF05/183, old meter reading was shown as 1 and new meter reading was shown as 242 and the amount was shown as Rs. 338. It was pleaded that the respondent had not issued bill for 4/2002 and on inquiry regarding amount of that bill, the same was told as Rs. 153 which was deposited by the appellant vide receipt No. 40 on 15.4.2002.

(3.) IT was pleaded that the respondent issued bill dated 7.8.2002 of NRS category instead of DS category for a sum of Rs. 22,359 in which arrears of Rs. 21,558 were shown. This amount was deposited in 15 instalments to avoid disconnection.