Random checking by Tangedco officials irks consumers

Power utility has asked its officials to inspect only apartments with multiple connections

Tangedco has clarified that the connection for common area in apartments will be categorised as LT-1D and not as commercial connection. | Photo Credit: K. PICHUMANI

After the new tariff revision, electricity officials have started making surprise visits to houses with multiple connections leading to complaints of “harassment”.

Under the new tariff notified recently, a new category of LT-1D has been created to cover power connections for common area in apartments and the tariff for this category has been fixed as ₹8 per unit. Under this provision, consumers with more than one connection in a dwelling unit or apartment complex can shift the extra connection to the new category of LT-1D.

The “sudden inspection” by Tangedco officials in places like Avadi, Pattabhiram, Valasaravakkam, and Thandurai has not gone down well with the consumers who see it as an invasion of privacy. 

Consumer activist T. Sadagopan said house owners had taken multiple electricity connections only because Tangedco allowed it. “While the Tangedco officials claim that multiple connections were taken for the purpose of availing free 100 units, the authorities can very well discontinue the free units for those with multiple connections and stop harassing the consumers,” he said. 

The consumer activist, who vehemently argued for disallowing fixed charge of ₹450 bi-mothly in the public hearings conducted by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC), faulted the panel for not coming out with the modalities of dealing with multiple connections. 

New software

A senior official of Tangedco said as per the data available, more than 25 lakh multiple connections have been identified in seven lakh locations throughout the State, which was the reason for carrying out inspections, as part of revenue augmentation.

A separate low-tension billing software categorised under “multiple services in the same premises” has been created for updating them under LT-1D. 

However, after the issue of harassment by local electricity staff was taken up with senior Tangedco officials, the inspections to individual houses have been stopped, the official said. Clear instructions have been issued to electricity staff to check only urban areas, that too apartments and not individual houses, he said.

Also the electricity staff have been advised to inform the consumers of apartments that the common service would be categorised under LT-1D and not in commercial category as was the feedback being received from consumers.