TNPDCL to refund consumer Rs 3 lakh for double deposit collection
During the hearing at TNEO, a TNPDCL official said the headquarters rejected Sakthivel's refund claim and later wrote to the Agricultural Engineering department to identify another beneficiary in place of Sakthivel who has the power connection.;
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CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Electricity Ombudsman directed the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (TNPDCL) to refund Rs 3 lakh to a consumer after receiving double the required deposit for a single agricultural service connection.
Under the Kalaignarin All Village Integrated Agriculture Development Programme (KAVIADP), P Sakthivel from the Ariyalur district applied for an electricity connection with a connected load of 10 HP for his agricultural deep bore well. Through the KAVIADP scheme, the agricultural department would pay the deposit amount of Rs 3 lakh to TNPDCL on behalf of the SC/ST farmers to avail agricultural service connection.
Considering the long waitlist and delay in effecting agricultural service connection, Sakthivel paid a sum of Rs 3 lakh as the deposit on April 19, 2023, after he received a demand notice from the TNPDCL.
After the service connection was provided, Sakthivel came to know he was one among the 63 beneficiaries under the KAVIADP scheme whose deposit was already paid by the agricultural engineering department to the utility on April 18, 2023.
He moved the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum, Perambalur, seeking a refund of the Rs three lakh deposit paid by him. However, his petition was rejected, stating his connection was processed under the self-financing scheme and that he had failed to inform the agricultural department.
After the CGRF passed an order in favour of the TNPDCL, Sakthivel challenged the order with the Tamil Nadu Electricity Ombudsman.
During the hearing at TNEO, a TNPDCL official said the headquarters rejected Sakthivel's refund claim and later wrote to the Agricultural Engineering department to identify another beneficiary in place of Sakthivel who has the power connection.
Based on the documents submitted by the utility, the Ombudsman noted that the utility had received the deposit amount for all 63 beneficiaries, including Sakthivel, on April 18, 2023, but collected the deposit again from the consumer the very next day. "Hence, it has been proved that the deposit amount was collected twice from the petitioner, and the utility should refund Rs three lakh," the Ombudsman ordered.