Fuse wire helps man win case against KSEB

New Indian Express

27-05-2025

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (SCDRC) has held the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) liable for a fire that occurred at a printing press in Idukki. The KSEB was asked to pay Rs 2 lakh compensation to the owner.
The order came on an appeal petition filed by the KSEB against the Idukki district commission's order in favour of the press owner. The latter, in his petition, said that he suffered losses to the tune of Rs 8 lakh due to the fire that occurred on the night of March 4, 2015. He alleged that the cause of fire was a short circuit in the service wire. The board had neglected his repeated requests to replace the wire which was 30 years old.
The KSEB argued that the accident occurred due to a short circuit in the installation of the customer and not from the service wire. The SCDRC bench comprising its president Justice B Sudheendra Kumar, judicial member D Ajith Kumar and member K R Radhakrishnan heard the case. The commission relied on the KSEB's site mahazar to hold it accountable for the fire.
According to the mahazar, the fuse wire fixed in the main switch was intact.
'This is a clear indication that the short circuit had taken place from a point outside the main switch. So the version given by the complainant that the fire occurred on account of the short circuit arose from the service wire fixed on the premises of the complainant, as the service wire was not maintained by the opposite parties after the installation which took place 30 years back, appears to be probable,' its order said.
The commission found deficiency in service on the part of the KSEB which did not take steps for proper maintenance of the service wire.