BARGARH : The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has penalised the Wesco Utility, Bargarh represented by its Executive Engineer and Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) for issuing arrear bill despite raising monthly bills. The court directed the utility to withdraw the illegal arrear bill of `43,581.30 and fined `5000 to be paid to the consumer failing which they would be liable for the punitive measure as per the provision of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
Reports said consumer Pramod Kumar Hota of Gobindpali in Bargarh town had filed a complaint through its pleader Surendra Kumar Panda at the court that Wesco has issued provisional bills for more than two and half year despite raising monthly bills based on metre reading. Though the consumer had paid the monthly bills, he received an arrear amounting to `43,581.30. The amount has been calculated from November 2013 to December 2017 with a total metre reading of 12,448 units.
As per the provision of Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission, “No sum due from any consumer under the section shall be recoverable after a period of two years from the date when such sum became first due unless such sum has been shown continuously as recoverable as arrears charges of electricity supplied and the licensee shall not cut off the supply of the electricity for non payments of such sum which has become non-recoverable.”
