15 years and still billing

KOCHI: It has been 15 long years since the Kerala Water Authority stopped the supply of water to Mohammad Siraj, but the authorities are very prompt in sending bills to him, which has reached a whopping Rs 5,88,645.Even though there is a court verdict barring the KWA from demanding any claim on water charges with regard to water connection from him, the authorities have been frequently sending water bills to this customer. The last bill for July amounted  to Rs 5,88,645 that included arrears and penal interest for the past 15 years.In 1987, Siraj took a non-domestic water connection from the Corporation. But later in 1995, he applied for a residential connection and asked the authorities to disconnect the non-domestic connection.But the engineer gave the residential connection using the existing service pipeline and its meter instead of installing a new service line and meter. This led to the preparation of two bills- one for the non-existing connection and one for the residential connection.He paid two bills for a year and put an end to it. But in 2011, he got a bill for Rs 1,47,249, including the arrears and penal interest, for a period of three years. When he approached the KWA chief engineer in Ernakulam, it was said that the water connection existed in the name of Siraj and  that the payment should be made. Siraj at last approached the Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Ernakulam, which had in 2009 delivered a judgement setting aside the disputed amount of Rs 1,47,249. But later in March 2011, Siraj got another bill for Rs 5,37,845.Once again he approached the KWA but the authorities said that they did not have a copy of the judegment and assured him that  bills would not be sent. But, in July he received another bill that covered the arrears for the past 15 years.Even when the KWA has the right to disconnect water supply without any notice if a consumer does not pay arrears or the meter is not working, this hapless consumer has been at the receiving end.