Consumer Education and Research Society (CERS), Ahmedabad, has urged the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and Ahmedabad Electricity Company (AEC) to ensure that electricity consumers or intending consumers do not suffer because of an ongoing dispute over payment between the two organisations.
CERS expressed concern over reports to this effect over consumer complaints received by it that electricity connections to their installations have been held up because of the AMC-AEC dispute. The AMC has demanded Rs 182.48 crore from the AEC as one-time charge for digging up roads to lay cables before the former can give any such permission.
The AMC has also demanded an annual rent for the underground space occupied by the cables for the past 5 years since 1997.
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In separate representations to Saurabh Dalal, the minister of state for energy, and P Paneervel, municipal commissioner, AMC, the consumer organisation said that without getting into the merits and demerits (of the dispute) a way out of this dispute should be found out as the consumers affected included not only residents and shopkeepers but also schools, hospitals and other public service organisations.
Their work had been held up for want of AEC power connection as it involved the digging of roads. With the passage of time, the number of such consumers would go on increasing. So there is a need to resolve the issue quickly.
In view of the uncertainty over a resolution of the dispute, CERS called upon the state government, especially the minister, to take the initiative so that the dispute could reach an ad hoc arrangement and consumers could get connections without delay. CERS suggested that consumers may be asked to give an undertaking that, in the event of a final settlement of the dispute, they would be bound by it and make any payment that may fall due.