Consumer Body Orders Power Company Staffers To Pay Rs 10 Lakh To Maharashtra Farmer
Mumbai:
A consumer commission in Maharashtra's Nagpur has directed four employees of a state-run power company to pay Rs 10 lakh to a farmer whose bamboo crop was damaged in a fire caused by a fault in power lines passing through his field.
Additional District Consumer Grievance Redressal Commission, Nagpur, in a recent order, directed three top-ranked engineers of the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) and its regional director in the area to pay the compensation.
The commission held that the officials "failed to maintain the power lines properly and were negligent, which constitutes a deficiency in service".
The complainant, a 68-year-old farmer, stated that he had planted 5,000 bamboo trees on his farm, which were in a semi-dry state for sale.
He alleged that on March 22, 2018, the trees caught fire due to friction and sparking between two wires of the MSEDCL's high-tension transmission line passing over his field and were completely burnt.
The farmer brought the matter to the notice of the tehsildar and the local police station and informed the electricity company.
A panchnama (spot inspection report) was conducted, and the power company repaired the line. The forest department assessed the damage at Rs 10.27 lakh, and the assessment was given to the MSEDCL's executive engineer.
However, the farmer was only paid Rs 4.2 lakh as compensation, following which he moved the consumer commission.
The complainant asserted that the damage was due to the negligence of the opposite parties and improper maintenance of the power lines and demanded compensation as assessed by the forest department.
He also sought Rs 2 lakh for physical and mental distress and Rs 50,000 for complaint expenses.
The MSEDCL officials, in their written statement, denied the complainant's entire claim and sought dismissal of the complaint, stating that if the complainant was not satisfied with the compensation, he should have sought redressal under the Electricity Act.
The commission held that MSEDCL was negligent in maintaining the power lines, which constituted a deficiency in service.
It accepted the forest department's detailed and factual report of Rs 10.27 lakh as the true extent of the damage and directed the opposing parties to pay the amount as compensation with 9 per cent annual interest from the date the report was filed (May 23, 2018) until the actual payment.
The MSEDCL staffers have also been asked to pay Rs 40,000 for mental and physical distress and Rs 10,000 for the expenses incurred by the farmer.
The commission has directed that the payment be made within 45 days from the order date (May 15).
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