DUSHANBE, May 21, 2011, Asia-Plus — Prolonged dispute between power distributor and electricity consumers in Rushan district, Gorno Badakhshan has developed into a 1 million somoni lawsuit.
A group of members of the Rushan legislature (Majlis) have filed a lawsuit with regard to protection of honor and dignity against a group of residents of the Shujand village, asking for 1 million somoni (equivalent to more than US$222,000) for the moral damage.
Chairman of the Shujand mahalla (community) council Ghulomsho Vatanshoyev is defendant and some 100 residents of the village are codefendants.
The plaintiffs have filed the lawsuit, following numerous applications and complaints by a group of residents of Shujand to appropriate bodies. In their applications and complaints against managers of the district utility responsible for distribution of electricity, they noted that the Rushan electricity distributor managers allegedly deceive customers and take money from them for electricity in excess of the authorized amount.
Mr. Vatanshoyev told Asia-Plus that the residents just asked to stop the practice, when excess kWh of electricity are charged to a customer, give them back money that were collected from them illegally and punish officials who allowed such practice. “Probes launched by the prosecutor’s office into our applications have confirmed the facts mentioned in our applications,” he said.
Head of the local power distributor Razoq Davronshoyev, who is also member of the Rushan legislature, and several other members of the local legislature filed the lawsuit with regard to protection of honor and dignity against Vatanshoyev and some 100 residents of the village of Shujand, asking for 1 million somoni for the moral damage.
The director general of the PamirEnergy Company (PamirEnergy), which is responsible for generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in Gorno Badakhshan, Daler Jumayev, says, “I consider that the question is not of any economic machinations or fraud. This case concerns technical problems that had existed in the Rushan energy sector in the past. The fact of the matter is that the previous electricity meters did not meet standards and invoices for electricity consumption were submitted, depending on capacity of electrical appliances. The matter is settled. All consumers in the village of Shujand have been provided with new electronic electricity meters.” “As far as allegations about excess kWh of electricity are concerned (the application mentions nearly 3,000 kWh of electricity), customers have never paid for them, and we corrected these data last year,” Mr. Jumayev noted.
According to him, the prosecutor’s office checked the facts mentioned in the application last year and the case moved to a court in Rushan district. The court returned the case to the prosecutor’s office in view of lack of evidence. “Currently, Davronshoyev holds the same position and he is one of the best managers in our company,” Jumayev noted.
