Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Electricity Ombudsman reiterated that TNPDCL should not collect estimate and extension charges from electricity consumers seeking new services as long as such extensions are not exclusively inside the consumer premises. Disposing of an appeal filed by G Pazhani Kumar of Varadharajapuram, ombudsman K Indrani directed TNPDCL to revise the estimate charges with a clear distinction of how much of the extension was inside the consumer premises and how much was on the roadside, and reimburse the excess charges from 80,000 collected from Pazhani Kumar. He had last year applied for a new temporary service for construction of a house, but TNPDCL raised an estimated charge of 80,000, apart from other deposits.He questioned the rationale behind such high estimated charges, but was told he should bear all the charges as the service lines had to be extended to effect the connection. Since he did not get a favourable response from the consumer grievance redressal forum, he appealed before the electricity ombudsman. Pazhani Kumar argued that consumers should not be burdened with extension charges since electricity poles and cables were discom’s properties. TNPDCL officials submitted that the estimate charges were collected as the appellant did not furnish documents that the pathways in the layout were settled in favour of the local bodies. The ombudsman ordered TNPDCL to revise the estimate charges within 30 days and submit a report in 45 days.
