Pune: MSEDCL Ordered to Cancel Hospital’s Wrongful Electricity Bill of Rs 25 Lakhs, Imposes Rs 57000 Fine On Staff
Pune, 16th April 2023: A Multispeciality Hospital in Wakad has been awarded justice by the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum against Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), a state-run electricity provider, for issuing wrongful electricity bills amounting to nearly Rs 25 lakhs.
Despite the hospital being classified as an emergency public service, it was charged at commercial rates, which was not justified. MSEDCL officials cut off the electricity supply to the hospital without prior notice under Section 56 of the Electricity Act, leading to the hospital’s appeal to the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum of the Pune Division of MSEDCL.
Upon hearing both parties’ arguments, the Forum decided to cancel the electricity bill of Rs 25 lakhs and ordered the immediate payment of exactly 71 months of electricity bills. The forum further ordered that two years’ electricity payment be made with retrospective effect from the date of inspection of the electricity connection of the complainant.
However, MSEDCL’s employees did not comply with this order and issued another wrongful bill intending to harass the complainant.
As a result, the Forum imposed a fine on the employee of MSEDCL for disobeying its order under Section 142 of the Electricity Act based on a judgment of the Supreme Court. For the first time in the state, the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum has taken such a significant action against a MSEDCL employee who was negligent in implementing the order. The Forum ruled that one thousand rupees should be deducted from the salary of the employee who violated the order of the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum from February 1 to the date of the order (March 29), with a total of Rs 57,000 to be deducted from the salary of this employee.
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