The Hindu : New Delhi News : Jal board fined for deficiency in service

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 09, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Jal board fined for deficiency in service

By Mandira Nayar

NEW DELHI, APRIL 8. The sudden change in the "status" of a water connection took this Delhiite by surprise. Having lived in a house in Sunlight Colony since 1969, he found that he was being billed for non-domestic rates for water from 1998. Tired of writing letters to the Delhi Jal Board to clear this aspect, Mr. Mehta decided to take the matter to a consumer court.

A bench of the consumer disputes redress forum has now held the Jal Board guilty of deficiency in service and directed it to pay Rs. 3,000 as compensation for the harassment caused to Mr. Mehta together with litigation costs of Rs. 1,000. The bench has also directed DJB to issue a revised bill to the consumer on the basis of only domestic rates applicable for the relevant period till date.

In his case before the court, Mr. Mehta argued that he was being charged non-domestic rates from March 1998 without any notice being sent to him. He wrote several letters to DJB, but in vain. He claimed that he was forced to pay the extra amount under threat of disconnection.

For their part, DJB stated that on a routine inspection, it was found that commercial activity of motor winding work was being done in a part of the premises and after that the connection was converted into another category. The DJB further argued that after they received the letter from Mr. Mehta, they removed the period from December 2001 to February 2003 from his bill.

After going through the evidence, a bench of the consumer court presided by G.D Dhanuka stated that Mr. Mehta had denied receipt of any notice about the commercial activity on the premises. The connection was for domestic use, however, non-domestic charges were levied after officials inspected the property and found commercial activity going on, the bench stated.

However, DJB has not put any such inspection record as evidence, the bench noted. There is also no record to show that a notice had been sent to Mr. Mehta before levying non-domestic charges, the bench observed. The levy on non-domestic rates against Mr. Mehta is bad, illegal and unjustified, the bench held and therefore held DJB guilty of deficiency in service.

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