Alipurduar, April 3: The Alipurduar circuit bench of the Jalpaiguri District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has asked the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd to restore power supply to a BPL consumer and pay him Rs 5,000 as compensation for the mental agony he suffered.

Pawan Barman from Khamarbari village near Jateswar had got an electricity connection in January 2005 and in November, the power major asked him to pay Rs 3,042 for the consumption of 1153 units.

Barman then approached the station manager in Falakata and lodged a complaint on the huge bill he had been sent, Som Shankar Dutta, who represented the farmer in the forum, said.

Barman got two more bills on February 4 and May 4, 2006. While the dues of Rs 3,042 were still pending, he paid the two other bills, since both came around to only Rs 300.

But on June 29, the company yanked out the fuse. When Barman went to the station manager the next day to inquire, he was told that the power supply had been snapped because of bill arrears. Dutta alleged that the station manager had misbehaved with his client at that time.

Barman filed a complaint against the disconnection in the forum on September 27. During the hearing, the company submitted that the metre was faulty and that was why the bill had come to more than Rs 3,000.

The bench ordered the station manager to replace the metre and restore the supply within one month, failing which a penalty of Rs 5,000 shall be charged. Dutta said the forum had also asked the company to cough up Rs 5,000 within two months for the mental agony Barman had suffered. Alpana Das, who appeared for the company, said it would file an appeal in the higher forum.