Multiple office visits: Power board fined ₹5k

Chandigarh: The Haryana Right to Service Commission has ordered the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) in Sonipat to compensate a consumer with Rs 5,000 from its funds for making him visit the SDO office multiple times.
An official said Radhey Sham had lodged a complaint with UHBVN, Sonipat, of incorrect readings on his electricity meter. The nigam replaced the meter on Jan 28, 2023, and sent the old meter to the M&T Lab in Rohtak for examination, where it was found that the reading on the meter display was correct.However, data was not retrieved from the meter.
The same complaint was received on Feb 20, 2024, through Consumer Grievances Redressal Forum (CGRF) under the name of Gaurav Mittal, son of Radhey Shyam. The meter was sent to the manufacturing firm for data retrieval, where the data was provided on April 3, showing a reading of 35,435 kWh. It became clear that the reading of 75,435 kWh displayed on the meter was incorrect. Furthermore, the forum decided that the overhauling carried out by the SDO/respondent was in order.
Since the commission was not satisfied with the response, a hearing was scheduled before the chief commissioner of the Commission, T C Gupta. The SDO sent the meter for inspection to the manufacturer after the laboratory’s examination report, after which the correct reading of the meter was revealed. The commission directed the SDO to rectify the consumer’s bill within the next 15 days, for which the bill amendment case should be sent to the CBO office.