VIRUDHUNAGAR: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in Srivilliputhur directed the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) officials to restore power supply and pay compensation of Rs35,000 to two residents of Sivakasi for irregularity in service.
The commission, comprising president SJ Chakkaravarthy and member M Muthulakshmi, issued the verdict in a petition filed by R Rajendran and R Venkatakrishnan, residents of Sivakasi, against TNEB officials, including the assistant engineer and the assistant executive engineer in Sengamala Nachiyarpuram and the superintending engineer in Virudhunagar division.
The petitioners, who are into the wire-cutting business, availed two commercial power connections 20 years ago and 12 years ago respectively. In January 2022, their power supply was cut off without any prior intimation by TNEB officials to relocate the electricity pole. The petitioners claimed that since then, the officials failed to restore their power connection, causing them to incur losses.
The commission observed that based on a request by one Rajeshkannan, a resident of the area, TNEB officials relocated the pole and cut off the power lines during the process. However, after the pole was relocated, they failed to restore the power connection.
The commission directed the respondents to restore the connection within six weeks and pay a compensation of Rs25,000 for causing mental agony and material loss to the petitioners. It also directed the respondents to pay Rs10,000 to the petitioner, either together or separately.