Discom rules flouted in inflated bill cases

Time of India

15 hours ago

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Jaipur: Consumers are grappling with erroneous, inflated power bills that require payment of the full amount, facing the threat of supply disconnection if unable to do so. Discom rules are often overlooked by authorities, officials said.
According to officials, supply disconnection is a lengthy process, providing consumers the right to present their position and offering several opportunities to do so. However, a lack of awareness of the rules among consumers and the indifferent, authoritarian attitude of authorities at the lower level of the administration ultimately lead to harassment.
They said as per the existing rules, customers are required to pay average monthly charges in cases of inflated bills and follow the process to settle disputes.
"We have an internal grievance redressal (IGR) cell set up for resolving bill payment disputes arising out of faulty meter reading or overshooting contracted demand (for large consumers). Customers should not be asked to pay the full amount pending the process," a discom official said.
Payment disputes involving up to Rs 20,000 are resolved at the AEN. Disputes up to Rs 50,000 are addressed by the XEN. Cases between Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh are taken up at the circle level and above that at the discom's corporate level.
By the time the disputes reach the corporate level, the number is reduced to about five to seven. The highest level of grievance redressal cell is represented by the managing director of discoms, an independent official from the Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission, and a senior accounts person.
In fact, the IGR asks for deposits of money in the disputed cases, but they mostly involve high-value cases. Often, it is 25% or 50% of the disputed amount, depending on the nature of the case.
But the rates are not uniform, said a discom official.
"In most cases, the genuineness of the bill raised is known because the consumer has a record. If a meter malfunctions and the consumption of units goes up, it's easier to solve it. But in cases involving large customers when their consumption overshoots their contracted demand, we demand a deposit of 25% or 50% of the disputed amount," said the official.
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