ELECTRICITY SERVICE AND THE CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT

Conclusion
A review of some important judgments made above indicate there are certain grey areas which needs to be addressed to by consumer groups and law makers. Particularly in view of the on going reform and restructuring process it is essential that the consumers are given importance as a stake holder in the power sector.

Firstly, it is essential that a proper grievance redressal machinery is established in the SEB with the involvement of consumer activists. The existing complaints handling mechanism needs to be strengthened so that consumers can avoid approaching the consumer forum for redressal of their complaints. Since the compensation given to consumers by SEBs add to the operating cost, once again it is the consumer who has to bear the cost through higher tariffs. This needs to be avoided.

Secondly, it is observed that many of the complaints lodged in the consumer forum could have been resolved by the SEB, provided the authorities paid little attention to the grievance of the consumer and given him full, accurate information. A grievance redressal officer with a commitment to the needs of the consumer is essential in all SEBs.

For the past few years there is a talk of Citizens/Customer Charter all over the country. Many government departments and public utilities, including SEBs have published their respective charters. However, its implementation has been poor. It is essential that SEBs not merely publish a charter but also create awareness about its contents among the public and the staff of the SEB. A review of the charter implementation is to be done atleast once in a year by an independent body like that of a consumer organisation.

Some of the states have already set up Electricity Regulatory Commissions to regulate the power sector, which includes protecting the interests of the consumers. The regulatory bodies have to direct the SEBs to set up complaints handling cells and monitor its performance. The number of complaints filed in the respective consumer forums should be viewed is an indication of the ineffectiveness of the SEBs to deal with consumer complaints. The number of complaints filed, the compensation paid and other factors should also be considered while clearing the tariff of the SEBs.