HYDERABAD: In order to provide relief to a resident who has been buying water for the past six months, the Ranga Reddy District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum here has directed a co-operative housing society to allow him to lower the water pipeline level to his residence.
V Mohan Rao has been a member of Sangeeth Nagar Co-operative Housing Society Ltd since 1982 and was allotted a plot at Bagh Ameeri village in RR district. The layout was sanctioned by HUDA and Rao constructed a house on the plot.
The society provided him with water connection from their main water line as they were collecting development charges from all the plot owners for providing amenities including water and drainage.
But Rao alleged that while the main water line was laid 3 feet below the road level, the pipeline to his plot was laid 2 feet above the road level and the difference in height affected water supply to his house.
When he noticed that the society had laid water lines for all plots at the same level as that of the main pipeline, he took up the issue with the secretary of the society who visited his plot and assured to increase the water pumping pressure. However as there was no improvement even after regulating the valves, Rao wanted water line laid at the same level as that of the main water line.
The society rejected his request and warned him that action would be taken if the line was disturbed without prior permission from the society. So, he gave an application to the society on June 6, 2015 seeking their permission but has got no response till date.
Due to the acute water shortage, he was forced to buy water at the rate of ` 750 per week for each tanker for the last 6 months. He claimed that while other houses in the colony got some 60 units of water for the month of May 2015, he got only 24 units.
Asserting that the housing society has to provide sufficient water as they are collecting the charges, Rao filed this present complaint with the forum.
The opposite party, in its written version, mainly contended that the alleged dispute cannot be settled under the Consumer Protection Act as the complainant was a member of the society which is registered under AP Co-operative Societies Act.
They claimed that the water line supplying water to all houses is at a fixed level and there is no discrimination. Hence, no harassment.
During the trial, the bench said, “Rao has a valid reason for seeking the relief of lowering his connecting pipeline as due to the increase in the number of connections that the main pipeline has to cater to to-day, the pressure of water has decreased noticeably.
Hence, it is only justified that complainant is permitted to lower the water line to his individual plot at the point connecting it to the main water line of the colony.”