Vadodara forum orders MGVCL to refund excess charges to Bhayli resident

Vadodara District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has ordered Madhya Gujarat Vij Company Ltd (MGVCL) to refund excess electricity charges to Bhayli resident Bimal Amin, who was wrongly billed for a three-phase connection he never received. The utility must also pay interest, compensation, and litigation costs. Amin applied for a three-phase connection in 2012-13 and paid the deposit, but later withdrew his request and received a refund. Despite this, MGVCL continued charging him fixed rates for a 6.5 kilowatt load. The commission rejected MGVCL's jurisdictional argument and noted the utility provided no technical evidence of a three-phase installation. The forum directed MGVCL to calculate and refund the excess fixed charges within 60 days, plus Rs 5,000 interest, Rs 5,000 for mental agony, and Rs 3,000 for litigation costs. Amin had raised the billing issue in writing since November 2013.