BENGALURU: The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has to pay a woman from Malleswaram Rs 55,000 for disconnecting her water supply instead of replacing the faulty meter, despite numerous complaints and representations submitted by her from 2018.
The Bangalore Urban Second Additional District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission directed the board to pay Rs 55,000, including Rs 50,000 as compensation and Rs 5,000 as litigation expenses, to the complainant, 53-year-old B Sadashivamma.
Passing the ex-parte order while partly allowing the complaint, the commission, comprising president M Shobha, members B Devaraju and V Anuradha, also directed the BWSSB to restore the water connection to the complainant immediately by replacing the defective meter.
Quashing the communication dated May 19, 2021, issued by the BWSSB claiming an exorbitant bill of Rs 1,91,826 from the complainant, the commission said, “The evidence of the complainant and documents remained unchallenged by the BWSSB. There is no reason to disbelieve them. Under these circumstances, the complainant has clearly established the deficiency of service and negligence on the part of BWSSB authorities. When the complainant has not availed water, she is not liable to pay the amount.”
According to the order, the complainant used to get Rs 100 to Rs 200 every month towards water charges. As there was a defect in the meter, she submitted a representation in August 2018 stating that she is getting an abnormal bill of Rs 2,000 to 3,000 every month. The board also started issuing the bill for borewell calling upon her to pay Rs 500.
She also filed a written complaint stating that the meter was stopped and she had not been getting water supply from BWSSB since January 2017. Hence, she also requested that the water supply be restored. Sadashivamma also clarified that she was not using borewells and was not using water for commercial purposes.
Though she submitted several representations, the BWSSB did not consider them, but allegedly threatened her that they will disconnect the sewage connection and make her life miserable. It also claimed an exorbitant bill of Rs 1,91,826. Hence, she approached the commission.