New Delhi, Jul 29 (PTI) Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has approved the inclusion of banking, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), and gas supply under public utility services, Raj Niwas officials said on Tuesday.
The move will facilitate the swift resolution of disputes in these sectors through permanent Lok Adalats, they said.
A proposal of the Delhi government’s Law Department to include these services under the category of public utility services was sent to the Lt Governor, citing an increasing volume of disputes.
It was pointed out by the proposal that a large number of disputes related to loans, financial recovery, savings and investments, service deficiencies, and billing issues in banking and non-banking financial sectors could be effectively and expeditiously resolved outside conventional courts, if these were notified as public utility services.
“Such inclusion would empower permanent Lok Adalats to take up these matters, reduce the burden on regular courts and provide accessible, low-cost, and time-bound legal remedies to the public,” said an official.
The three services were closely aligned with the characteristics of public utility services, and given the increasing volume of cases related to them, there was a pressing need to ensure expeditious, cost-effective and amicable resolution of such matters, the proposal said.
Further, disputes related to these services often involved individuals who could not afford prolonged litigation and, therefore, the permanent Lok Adalats could provide a simplified and affordable alternative for resolving such disputes.
In Delhi, three permanent Lok Adalats are currently functional for the resolution of electricity-related disputes involving the power discoms.
The Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) is also in the process of setting up another permanent Lok Adalat to cater to other public utility services that include transport, postal, telecom, water supply, public sanitation, health and insurance services, among others, the official added. PTI VIT RHL
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