LESA, private co go hand-in-glove | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
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LESA, private co go hand-in-glove

Nov 23, 2006 12:28 AM IST

A NEXUS between LESA officials and staff of private hand-held billing agencies is emerging as a big source of corruption and harassment of consumers in LESA.

A NEXUS between LESA officials and staff of private hand-held billing agencies is emerging as a big source of corruption and harassment of consumers in LESA.

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HT Image

The private agency employees, in innumerable cases, feed incorrect meter readings (usually, units more than consumed) in the hand-held computers they carry while reading a consumer’s meter and generate the bill accordingly. Later, when the consumers run from pillar to the post to get their bill rectified, they are harassed and extorted by LESA engineers.

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According to sources, while the racket is flourishing in all LESA divisions, it is particularly rampant in the Gomti Nagar division where residents are relatively more aware and educated.

Harassed consumers have made written complaints to the LESA officers, but no action has been taken by any private agencies.

For example, a representative of the private hand-held billing agency handed over a bill of 4,992 units to one Badri Prasad Bajpayee of Gomti Nagar, though actually his meter recorded only 4,938.

He could get his bill corrected only after he had met the LESA babus several times. A woman consumer, Madhuri, also had a similar experience. She was given a bill of 1,700 units against the actual consumption of 1,445 units as recorded by the meter.

Consumers complained that the private agency had issued ‘fake’ bill in great number during the current month. Insurance company official JP Singh complained that when his tenant refused to pay Rs 100 per month to the agency staff for a correct bill, he was handed over an incorrect bill leading to a trail of the tenant’s harassment.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Brajendra K Parashar is a Special Correspondent presently looking after agriculture, energy, transport, panchayati raj, commercial tax, Rashtriya Lok Dal, state election commission, IAS/PCS Associations, Vidhan Parishad among other beats.

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