Consumer panel cancels water bill of over ₹15,000; slaps fine on Kerala Water Authority

The Ernakulam District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has cancelled a water bill for over ₹15,000 issued to a consumer by the Kaloor division of the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) on the grounds that it was erroneous and based on an improper reading of the water meter.

The Commission comprising D.B. Binu, president, and members V. Ramachandran and Sreevidhia T.N. issued the order on a petition filed by one Martin Paiva, 73, an ex-serviceman from Elamakkara. The panel also fined the opposite parties, the assistant executive engineer, Kaloor division, and the executive engineer, Pallimukku division of the KWA, with a fine of ₹10,000 towards the cost of legal proceedings.

According to the petitioner, the KWA Kaloor division slapped him with an exorbitant bill of ₹15,691 on July 9, 2024. During an inspection conducted on a complaint by the petitioner, it was found that the leakage of water near the meter box due to a defective valve had led to the huge bill. The complainant subsequently approached the assistant executive engineer and filed a petition to exclude him from paying the huge amount since it happened not due to his fault.

The petitioner, however, was turned away on the grounds that such an exemption could be granted only once in 10 years, and that he had availed himself of it once before. The complainant produced before the Commission the meter reading of three months and stated that the defective valve was overlooked by the opposite party, and that it was not his fault.

The Commission observed that while the petitioner’s average consumption of three months was 26.5 KL of water, whereas the bill in question showed 343 KL. The bill issued by the opposite party is erroneous on the basis of improper reading as alleged by the complainant, and the leakage happened was not due to the fault of the complainant. It is the duty of the opposite party to provide proper service and frequent inspection to curtail any instance of leakage in the consumer communication, the Commission said while cancelling the bill.