High Court dismisses Mescom’s appeal

High Court dismisses Mescom’s appeal

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, June 7, 2010: Karnataka High Court has dismissed Mangalore Electricity Supply Company’s (Mescom) petition against the order of the electricity ombudsman, which awarded a compensation of Rs 2,600 to a widow hailing from Udupi for its delay in supplying electricity. 

Lacchi Poojarthi, the wife of late Thimma Poojari of Avadesaalu Mane in Kundapur, had applied for a power supply for her hut in the naxal-infested area on June 26, 2002. As per norms, the state’s power distribution companies must provide electricity within 15 days of application; however, Mescom appeared to forget the application. In December 2002, the company informed her that power supply could not be supplied to her hut because her neighbor had objected to the electric line passing through his property. The widow waited for the connection till 2005. 

In 2005, Mescom and the consumer approached the DC of Udupi for clearing the obstructions to laying the line. In Jan 2007, the DC of Udupi rejected the objections against laying the electric lines. However, Poojarthi was still made to wait for the connection. On Jan 9, 2007 Poojarthi wrote a letter enclosing a copy of the DC’s order to Mescom and requested again for the power supply. When Mescom still did not respond, she lodged a complaint at the Consumer Forum. 

A complaint lodged with the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum (CGRF) of Mescom Ltd., Mescom’s internal dispute redressal body, which rejected the plea. Later, an appeal was made to the Electricity Ombudsman for compensation for Mescom’s delay for 1,813 days from Jan 9, 2002 at the rate of Rs 200 per day. In his order dated Nov 20, 2008, the Electricity Ombudsman counted only 13 days of delay from Jan 9, 2007 to Jan 21, 2007 and ordered a compensation of Rs 2,600. 

Mescom filed a petition against the order in High Court, but it was dismissed with the caustic remark of “an unworthy cause brought by a disgruntled service provider Mescom.”