An engineering college in Punjab that claimed that its academics were suffering due to the failure of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) to supply uninterrupted power has got relief through the Punjab Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. The commission has directed the board to ensure the supply of uninterrupted power to Shaheed Bhagat Singh College of Engineering and Technology,Ferozepur,within six months of the receipt of the order. The same order had been passed by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum,Ferozepur,in June 2005,following the initial complaint made by the college. After its establishment by the Punjab government,the principal said,the college requested the board for release of uninterrupted power supply in 2002. For this purpose,the board asked the college to deposit Rs 2,500 for conducting a feasibility study. The money was deposited in September 2002. The board conducted a detailed study and prepared a report. In February 2003,the board asked the college to deposit Rs 1.44 lakh for providing uninterrupted power lines and connection. The principal told the forum that the money was deposited but there was no respite from power cuts even after one year,though the PSEB had provided uninterrupted power supply to most other professional colleges in Punjab.. The college stated that practical classes with laboratory work came to a halt in the absence of power,with the staff and students sitting idle half the time. The computer centre could not function either. In its reply,the board said the college could not be considered a consumer since it was a commercial institution. After considering the case,the Ferozepur forum said since the board had accepted the requisite money it must release uninterrupted power supply within six months of the receipt of the copy of the order. The board,however,appealed against the order in the commission. Adjudicating the case,presiding member of the commission Inderjit Kaushik and member Baldev Singh Sekhon expressed dismay at the concocted version given by the PSEB as an excuse. The board had claimed that its staff could not provide the power lines as these passed through the BSF complex,which did not allow the connection. The commission observed: Eight years have passed and the appellants (PSEB) are still at the same stage. At least some steps should have been taken after the order passed by the district forum, observed the commission. It directed the board to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the college. The commission also imposed costs of Rs 10,000 on the board and stated that the PSEB could conduct an inquiry and recover this amount from the salary of the official who submitted the feasibility report and prepared the estimate.
