DELHI VIDYUT BOARD Vs. P BHATIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) this appeal is directed against the impugned order dated 26.12.1994 passed by District Forum whereby following directions were issued to the appellant: (a) Restore complainant's electric supply forthwith and pay a compensation of Rs.100/- for every day's delay in restoration of the supply. (b) Take all necessary steps to ensure that the supply is not disrupted through illegal trappings in future. (c) Pay a compensation of Rs.50,000/- to the complainant for the loss suffered by her and for the harassment caused to her for prolonged disruption of supply resulting from gross deficiency in the service arising from gross negligence and deliberate inaction on the p of its employees within one month and to take steps to recover the amount from the concerned officers. (d) Get the loss caused to the O. P. on account of illegal trappings during the last years by a chartered accountant and recover the amount from the staff with whose connivance the trappings took place. (e) Prosecute all the persons identified in the report of the Commissioner for theft of electricity and take all necessary steps in that direction. (f) Report compliance of the directions above by 3.4.1995

(2.) This appeal projects the malaise of large scale consumption of electricity by way of theft by the illegal and unauthorised colonies, jhuggi clusters, unauthorised factory units cropping up in the city which operates so adversely to the legitimate consumers that due to illegal trappings which go unchecked by the concerned authorities they suffer immensely by way of not getting the electricity for hours together and sometimes the supply gets disconnected.

(3.) The appellant is one of those consumers who has suffered on account of large scale trappings of the electricity due to theft by the residents of such colonies and factory owners. The appellant has a farmhouse in the Hastsaal village and as many as four electricity connections are in 7 acres of land. It is alleged that residents of unauthorised colonies and factory units are being supplied electricity illegally by the appellant which has caused the burning of 100 KVA transformer from which the electricity was being supplied to the appellant. It was further alleged that with the burning of the transformer, the unauthorised colonies and houses are getting the electricity from another pole which has 400 KV transformer. The appellant in spite of having brought this to the notice of the Chief Engineer of the appellant, the engineer and staff made sarcastic remarks that if electricity is not available to her, she may better shift her residence from this place to some posh locality. This prompted the respondent to serve legal notice leading to the instant complaint before the District Forum.