Lok Adalats to hear water billing disputes from July 10

The move,officials say,will help the DJB expedite action on complaints and block revenue.

To appear before the Lok Adalat for the resolution of disputes involving amounts below Rs 20,000,consumers will have to submit their applications at the court complex of their zone by June 21. While the Karkardooma court would accept applications from the East and Northeast zones,the Dwarka court will accept applications from the South and Southwest zones. The Rohini court will take in applications for the North and Northwest zones.

“Six zones have been covered for the first Lok Adalat. Based on the success,we will go ahead with rest of the four zones. Consumers may submit their applications in the prescribed format that is available at the DJB and DLSA websites (www.delhijalboard.nic.in and http://www.dlsa.nic.in),by June 21,” DJB’s Director (Revenue) S B Shashank told Newsline.

DJB officials said they receive a large number of complaints from consumers who suspect their bills are inflated. “A large portion of meters installed across the city are non-functional,and the consumers are billed on average consumption. Consumers dispute the bills in most cases,” a senior official said.

There are three kinds of billing disputes that the water utility hopes to resolve through these Adalats. As a mandatory practice,the DJB has made clear that applications for disputed bills (including arrears) exceeding Rs 20,000 will not be accepted. A consumer may only apply if he/she claims that his/her locality gets less or no water against the amount charged,or his/her consumption is lesser because of the smaller size of the family.

“At present,consumers getting bills based on average consumption are charged for 20 kilolitre per month for a family of five. With the new tariff,this amounts to Rs 180 a month. Some consumers dispute the bills,claiming their family has fewer members,” the official said.

At present,there are two ways for a consumer to resolve billing disputes: through consumer courts or through the department. DJB CEO Ramesh Negi said: “With Lok Adalats,the disputes will be settled in the presence of a judge who will weigh both sides of the argument. The decision would be binding on both parties.”

Complaint addressed
* Dwarka,Rohini and Karkardooma courts to cover 6 city zones
* Dwarka — South and Southwest zones
* Karkardooma — East and Northeast zones
* Rohini — North and Northwest zones
* Consumers need to file their applications at court complex of their zones by June 21