Chandigarh, April 8
In a significant decision, the Haryana Right to Service Commission has ordered the Electricity Department to pay Rs.5,000 as compensation to a complainant due to shortcomings of the electricity department. The commission found that Om Prakash, a resident of Bhiwani, was deprived of the facility of increasing the load of agricultural electricity connection under the Voluntary Disclosure Scheme due to the negligence of the electricity department.
Sharing information in this regard a spokesperson of the department said that Om Prakash had applied for load enhancement on July 13, 2024. However, the department rejected his application by showing a pending electricity theft penalty of Rs 28,000 in his name. Later, in the investigation it was discovered that the theft was actually committed by his brother, Ved Prakash, who had taken a direct supply from the transformer. Even though Ved Prakash paid the penalty on September 26, 2024, the amount continued to be shown under Om Prakash’s name.
The spokesperson said that due to the department’s failure to update records, Om Prakash could not get the benefit of the Voluntary Disclosure Scheme for increasing the load.The Commission, considering it a serious administrative lapse, has issued an order to pay compensation under Section 17(1)(h) of the Haryana Right to Service Act, 2014.
The Commission has directed that Om Prakash should submit his bank details to the concerned officers by April 25, 2025, to receive the compensation. The Commission has directed the Electricity Department to conduct an internal inquiry and recover the compensation amount from the responsible officers if found guilty. Besides this, compliance reports and proof of action must be submitted to the Commission within the given stipulated time frame.
