New Delhi: The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has been rapped by a consumer forum here for raising "wrong and excess" water bills against a 77-year-old city resident and ordered to pay Rs 5,164 as compensation to him.
The South West District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum said the manner in which the DJB has been issuing wrong bills since 2010 to the customer shows its "negligent attitude" and amounts to deficiency in service.
"We find that the opposite party (DJB) has raised various bills payable by complainant and all these bills were raised for excess and wrong amount.
"The issuance of all the bills for wrong and excess amount continuously from 2010 to the latest bill shows the negligent attitude of DJB, amounting to deficiency in service," said the bench presided by Narendra Kumar.
It directed DJB to pay Rs 5,000 as damages to complainant Ram Chandra Srivastava for causing him inconvenience along with refund of Rs 164 charged as arrears from him.
The civic agency was also warned that if it does not adopt proper billing practice in future, the forum will take a serious view of the matter.
The order came on the plea of Srivastava who had alleged that since May 2010 DJB had been issuing bills of wrong and excess amounts and that the latest bill of May 2011 was of Rs 4,562 which only after his requests was rectified to Rs 860.
In its written statement, the DJB had contended that wrong bills were issued as a result of some computer error and were rectified on the representation made by Srivastava.
The forum, however, rejected the contention saying "it is not at all convincing."
PTI
