Madras high court on Wednesday dismissed a PIL challenging the method adopted by Tangedco to calculate power consumption during lockdown.
OPEN APP
MORE FROM TOI
Top
News
Mask
India
Covid-19
Updates
CITY
Madras high court dismisses PIL challenging ‘amplified power charges’
Sureshkumar | TNN | Jul 15, 2020, 12:30 IST
TNN
Get Notifications on latest Chennai News
CHENNAI: No relief for domestic electricity consumers in
Tamil Naduagainst ‘amplified
power charges’ during the
lockdown period as the
Madras high court on Wednesday dismissed a
PIL challenging the method adopted by Tangedco to calculate power consumption during lockdown.
Tangedco calculated the consumption charges for the four months — March to June — based on the bill amount paid by each consumer for February. It was alleged that consumers can be billed only on the basis of the units consumed and not on the last payment made.
READ MORE FROM
A story of how the Indian army held back the Chinese at Walong in Arunachal Pradesh for nearly three weeks in 1962, despite little resources
There has been a rise in the demand for cycles as more people are taking up cycling to stay fit
However, refusing to accept the allegation, a division bench of Justice M M Sundresh and Justice R Hemalatha dismissed the plea moved by M L Ravi.
On July 8, while reserving the order on the plea, the bench concurred with the submission of Tangedco that domestic consumers are experiencing higher electricity bills as they are spending more time in their homes in view of Covid-19 lockdown.
Normally, anyone who is working would spend at least six to eight hours in their office or workplace. Now, they are spending such time in their homes and this might be a reason for the increase in charges, a court had said.
According to the petitioner, Tangedco has relied on the previous month bill amount to arrive at the present payable instead of considering the previous month units consumed. This resulted in low tension domestic consumers having to pay 12% to 50% higher charges than that is permissible under the Tamil Nadu Electricity Supply Code. Such method adopted by the corporation has affected 96% of domestic consumers who have been forced to pay up to 50% higher charges, according to him.
Denying the allegation, additional advocate general P H Arvind Pandian submitted that the bills could not be calculated as per the units consumed as no one including the petitioner and Tangedco knows the reading for the lockdown period.
Moreover, the method followed by the corporation to calculate the charges are proper and is in compliance with the provisions of the Act. “We have even got the approval from the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission,” he added.
![our considered opinion, when a public festival like the Kumababishegam of a temple is performed, it will be impossible for the authorities to check the religious identity of every devotee for the purpose of permitting his entry into the temple. That apart, if a person belonging to another religion, has faith in a particular Hindu deity, that cannot be prevented nor can his entry into a temple be prohibited. It is common knowledge that the devotional songs of Dr.K.J.Yesudas, a Christian by birth, rendered on various Hindu Gods are played without any demur in temples. In fact, in Nagore Dargah and Vailankanni Church, scores of Hindus worship. 5. Therefore, this Court refrains from taking a very parochial view and instead, prefers to approach the issue from a broader perspective. 6. In the result, this writ petition is dismissed as being devoid of merits. No costs. Index : Yes / No Internet : Yes / No [P.N.P., J.] [R.H., J.] 04.07.2022 pkn To: 1.The Secretary, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department, Fort St.George, Chennai – 600 009. 2.The Commissioner, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Department, Nungambakkam High Road, Chennai – 600 034. 3.The District Collector, Kanyakumari District at Nagercoil. 4.The Joint Commissioner/Executive Officer, Headquarters, Kanyakumari District Temples, Susindram, Kanyakumari District. P.N.PRAKASH , J. and R.HEMALATHA , J. pkn W.P.(MD) No.14081 of 2022 04.07.2022](https://www.sekarreporter.com/wp-content/themes/hueman/assets/front/img/thumb-medium-empty.png)
