With the new electricity tariff having kicked in from December 12, a number of consumers in the city want Tangedco to go for a monthly billing cycle, in a bid to avoid falling into the ‘above 500 units’ category.
T. Sadagopan, president, Tamil Nadu Progressive Consumer Centre, said when milk cards are renewed monthly, Tangedco too should operate a monthly billing cycle, as was done in the past.
But in the tariff order, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission has found there will be no variation of charges between monthly and bi-monthly billing.
Tangedco had given a calculation comparing the monthly and bimonthly billing with an example wherein a consumer using 510 units is charged Rs. 929 in case of monthly billing and Rs. 1,858 in case of bimonthly billing. Whereas, if you split the 510 units by two (for each month), then it works out to Rs. 565 for 255 units per month.
A senior official of Tangedco said there is a shortage of assessors, one of the main reasons the monthly billing cycle cannot be adopted. Going monthly would create chaos in the city, which has nearly 33 lakh domestic power connections, he said.
V. Rama Rao, a social worker from Nanganallur, said the middle class is already burdened by increase in prices of milk and essential commodities. He said the State government must follow the Rajasthan model where they have introduced monthly billing cycle with 500 units being the highest category.
