Why Are Ordinary People to Blame for Problems of State Organizations?

Azerishyg requires citizens to pay three times as much

Why does any discrepancy in Azerbaijan’s state organizations, every gap in their work certainly hit ordinary citizens? How does it happen that seemingly right laws, departmental rules and regulations, when applied, strike citizens, and not government agencies?

Turan IA has been inquired by a resident of Baku Roza Askerova, who is registered as resident in the house of her husband Telman Askerov, at Baku, Sabayil district, Shahlar Allahverdiyev Streat, Dead End 3, 32. At their house on January 9 this year, an electricity meter burned. It is an ordinary event, as meters once die as people do. It would be very easy for the electricity distribution company Azerishyg to quickly send repairmen to replace the old meter by a new one at the state expense, which is required by law.

 Askerova immediately reported the incident to electricians. Electricians appeared only on January 15, disabled the faulty meter and connected the power lines directly to the house. On January 19 an official act of a technical failure of the counter was compiled. Of course, during the 4 winter days Askerovs used electricity, and the counter was spinning rapidly, as the wheels of a car on the Formula 1 in Baku. The electricians tried to persuade the customers to pay for the installation of a new meter, but Askerovs know the laws and refused to pay,” Telman’s wife Roza told.

On February 2 Asgarova received a bill for consumed electricity with an indication of the debt - as many as 120 manat. The family gasped! In winter, they pay a monthly 37-40 manat, which is evident from the paid invoices presented. The pay suddenly grew by three times, which should not have happened. How should they act?

 Turan asked the service 199. They listened politely and confirmed that the last bill for electricity has grown three times and advised, as always advised in such cases, the subscriber to personally come to the company’s complaints and investigations department and to leave a written statement there. “They will read, consider and take the right decision,” a sweet female voice sounded.

It is a question why the citizen should have spent the time, while there was a violation by Azerishyg. It is quite simple that, according to the rules, they should have taken the average power consumption in the last months and present a bill on the basis of these data, not mythical.

Besides that, Askerovs’ complaint can be considered for a long time after its submission, during which the family will use electricity, of course. So what account will they get? And how will they pay for them, if they are "condemned" to 120 manat? How should they live, if for the non-payment of the bills the electrical power supply will be disconnected? The Askerov family was threatened with power outage if AZN 120 is not paid before 19 February.

The situation a bit softened after the Head of Public Relations Service Tanriverdi Mustafayev, whom Turan IA had asked about this case, intervened. The company decided to make a payment in January based on the testimony of the new meter in February.

It seems to solve the situation. But it demonstrated the gaps in the Azerishyg system: there was no operational response to the customer’s statement about the counter gone out of order, and the installation of the new counter was made three weeks after the application, and the applicant was presented a bill in violation of the rules. All of this means that it might not be a separate incident in a particular area, but a phenomenon.

Turan monitors the situation of conflict between the family and the Baku State organization in which common citizens proved to be the victims.--0--