ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has directed Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) to refund Rs139,860 to Haji Akhtar Raheem (the complainant) who had been wrongly issued an additional demand notice for the installation of an electricity connection along with a transformer due to cost escalation.

“IESCO had violated its own procedure by not installing the connection within 30 days and later sent an additional demand notice to the complainant, who had already paid the original requisite amount, on account of the escalation of the cost of the material,” the president issued these directions while deciding upon a representation filed by IESCO assailing the order of the Wafaqi Mohtasib directing IESCO to refund the amount to the complainant and adopt proper procedure/rules/regulation, which were violated by IESCO, resulting in maladministration.

Haji Akhtar Rahim (the complainant) had applied with IESCO for an electricity connection along with a 25 KVA transformer. Subsequently, a demand notice of Rs305,656, including the cost of allied material was issued to him. He deposited the amount, however, IESCO instead of installing his connection timely, issued an additional demand notice of Rs139,860 on account of the escalation of the cost of the material.

He approached IESCO for withdrawal of the demand notice but to no avail. Feeling aggrieved, he approached the Wafaqi Mohtasib for the redressal of his grievance, who passed the order in his favour. IESCO, then, filed a representation against the order of the Mohtasib with the president.

After personally hearing the case and going through the record of the case, the president directed IESCO to refund the amount to the complainant. He referred to IESCO’s Consumer Service Manual which provided that once the demand notice had been issued by IESCO and paid by the applicant in full, no further charges/demand notice could be raised on account of the escalation of the cost of the material. He further noted that as per the Manual, IESCO was bound to install the connection within 30 days but it delayed the installation by seven months.

The president concluded that Wafaqi Mohtasib’s decision was based on sound reasoning and was sustainable in the eyes of the law. He, therefore, rejected the IESCO’s representation and upheld the Mohtasib’s decision.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024