ADDITIONAL BENCH STATE CONSUMER DISPUTES REDRESSAL COMMISSION, PUNJAB, CHANDIGARH Date of Institution : 07.12.2022 Date of Reserve : 21.08.2025 Date of Decision : 24.10.2025

1. Improvement Trust Rupnagar, Giani Zail Singh Nagar, Rupnagar through its Chairman.

2. Improvement Trust Rupnagar, Giani Zail Singh Nagar, Rupnagar through its Executive Officer.

….Appellants/opposite parties Versus Tarlochan Singh son of Sh.Gurbaksh Singh, resident of H.No.1696A, Near Lehri Shah Mandir, Rupnagar, Tehsil and District Rupnagar (deceased) through his legal heir Smt. Labh Kaur wife of Late Tarlochan Singh, resident of H.No.1696-A, near Lehri Shah Mandir, Rupnagar, Tehsil and District Rupnagar.

….Respondent/Complainant First Appeal under Section 41 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 against the order dated 15.09.2022 of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Ropar Quorum:-

Mr.Harinderpal Singh Mahal, Presiding Judicial Member Mrs.Kiran Sibal, Member Present:-

For the appellant : Mrs.R.S.Verma, Advocate with Ms.Netu Singh, Advocate For the respondent : Sh.Ramneek Vasudeva, Advocate HARINDERPAL SINGH MAHAL, PRESIDING JUDICIAL MEMBER This appeal has been preferred by the appellants/opposite parties– The Improvement Trust, Rupnagar & Anr. against the order dated 15.09.2022 passed by District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Ropar (in short ‘District Commission’), whereby the complaint filed by the complainant under the Consumer Protection Act (in short ‘the Act’) was partly allowed with the direction that the complainant is not entitled to pay Rs.3,21,840/- as non-construction fee to the opposite party and the letter number 2431 dated 31.12.2020 qua Plot/House No.111, Dashmesh Nagar, Rupnagar, is set aside. The opposite parties were further directed to pay Rs.15,000/- as compensation and litigation expenses.

It would be apposite to mention that hereinafter the parties will be referred, as have been arrayed before the District Commission.

2. Briefly stated facts of the complaint are that initially the complainant allotted a plot No.111 to Joginder Lal on 07.12.1990. Thereafter, the said plot was transferred in the name of the complainant by the opposite parties, vide letter No.1141 dated 12.11.2012. After the allotment, the complainant moved an application before the opposite parties for sanction the site plan of the plot bearing No.111 situated in the area of Dashmesh Nagar, Rupnagar. After receiving the documents, the opposite parties, vide letter No.756 dated 18.06.1999 sanctioned the site plan of House No.111 of the complainant situated in Dashmesh Nagar, Bela Road, Part-I, Rupnagar. The complainant issued the form No.C (Rule 12) specification of the material to be used in the construction. The complainant complete the construction of his house before December, 1999. Thereafter, the complainant applied for the electricity meter for his house to the PSPCL department and on his request the department issued the connection bearing No.HF52-2882 on 13.05.2001. On 15.01.2000, the opposite parties issued a letter to the complainant to stop the construction work at the site as per the next order of the opposite parties. Despite knowing that the complainant had completed construction before December 1999, they remained silent till 31.12.2020, and with malafide intention, issued an illegal and inapplicable letter only to harass and humiliate the complainant. The complainant requested number of times to the opposite parties to execute the sale deed of the house in favour of the complainant despite of the fact all the documents were given to the opposite parties as and when required. This act and conduct of the opposite parties amount to deficiency in service, which compelled the complainant to approach the District Commission seeking following reliefs:

i) to withdraw the letter memo no.2431 dated 31.12.2020 qua plot /house No.111, Dashmesh Nagar, Rupngar, vide which the opposite parties imposed the fine of Rs.3,21,840/- due to non-constr