Vadodara: Holding that the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) was a service provider, a consumer court here penalized it Rs 3,000 for failing to properly maintain a sewer, which caused a citizen mental agony.
Hariram Ramchandra, a resident of New VIP Road, had sued the civic body arguing he was a taxpayer and the VMC was providing deficient service by not maintaining the drainage line next to his home.
Ramchandra raised a stink about the sewage line right outside at his front door in 2019. He complained that a chamber of the pipeline opened in front of his gate and the stench from it was unbearable. He also pointed out that the line often got choked and overflowing sewage would enter his house and cause a mosquito menace.
The complainant added that cockroaches from the sewer would enter his house causing his family members to fall ill. When the civic body didn't heed his verbal complaints and representations, Ramchandra filed a complaint against the VMC in the Vadodara District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (additional).
Arguing that he was a taxpayer and that the VMC was providing deficient service affecting the health of his family, Ramchandra asked that the civic body shift the drainage line chamber from near his house. The forum heard the complaint and said Ramchandra had proved that he was paying property tax to the civic body.
"The complainant gave notice to the VMC about the overflowing sewer line, mosquitoes and the stench but the civic body didn't maintain it. There is deficiency in service," the forum observed and directed the VMC to pay a penalty of Rs 3,000 for mental agony caused to Ramchandra and Rs 2,000 towards legal costs. The forum also ordered the VMC to maintain the sewer in a way that it doesn't cause a stench or create a mosquito breeding site.