Mahavitaran to pay Rs1 lakh to consumer

Holding the state-owned power distribution company Mahavitaran responsible for improper conduct in a legal case, the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (ATE) has directed the state utility to pay Rs 1 lakh in legal costs to an industrial house in Nagpur.

Holding the state-owned power distribution company Mahavitaran responsible for improper conduct in a legal case, the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (ATE) has directed the state utility to pay Rs 1 lakh in legal costs to an industrial house in Nagpur.

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The case pertains to the appeal against the Maharashtra State Electricity Regulatory Commission's (MERC) directive to Mahavitaran that it grant Indo Rama Synthetics open access to 10MW power from sources outside the state from August 2010.

In open access, consumers can buy power of more than 1 MW from the supplier. Indo Rama used the facility between September 2009 and August 2010 but was denied renewal the next year.

ATE said Mahavitaran raised issues such as jurisdiction of MERC and deliberately delayed open access to Indo Rama.

"We are constrained to impose cost the cost of 1 lakh on the appellant," said ATE chairperson justice M Karpaga Vinayagam and technical member VJ Talwar.