Electricity consumers of all low-tension (LT) supply categories in the State who get consumer charges bills every month would not get physical bills this month as the energy meter readers won’t visit their premises to collect energy consumption data. Bills would be raised based on their past consumption and intimated over WhatsApp, SMS or website for payment.
Relaxation to the effect was given to the two distribution licensees (discoms) by the Telangana State Electricity Regulatory Commission (TSERC) through its interim order placed on its website on Tuesday, in the wake of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. According to the order, the discoms have been allowed to suspend all non-essential services which require public interface till April 14, till when the lockdown is in force as of now.
The Commission agreed that services such as meter reading, bills distribution, bill collection at manual bill payment counters, release of new service connection, extension of additional loads, reduction of load, transfer of ownership, conversion of services, shifting of meters or service lines, redressal of meter and billing complaints as non-essential services during the lockdown period. The discoms are not required to pay any compensation to consumers for the delay in attending to such services during the lockdown.
ADVERTISEMENT
Last year bill
As per the Commission’s relaxation given to the discoms due to absence of meter reading, the billing for April 2020 (for energy consumed in March), the consumers of LT-I Domestic, LT-VI (A) Street Lighting and LT-VI (B) Protected Water Supply Schemes categories the demand shall be raised equivalent to the consumer charges bill amount for April 2019 for all connections existing in the month of March 2019.
For the connections released after April 1, 2019 to February 29, 2020 in the three LT categories, the demand shall be raised equivalent to the bill amount for the month of March 2020 and for the connections released during March 2020 in the three categories, minimum demand shall be raised.
ADVERTISEMENT
Similarly, for all other LT categories except LT-V Agriculture, the demand shall be raised as equivalent to 50% of the bill amount for April 2019 for consumers existing in March 2019 and for connections released after April 1, 2019 to February 2, 2020 the demand shall be raised for equivalent to 50% of the bill amount for March 2020. For the connections released during March 2020, minimum demand shall be raised.
Payment moratorium
The TSERC order also passed on the relief approved by the Ministry of Power to the Discoms due to the COVID-19 lockdown for moratorium of three months to make payments to generating and transmission licensees and not to levy penal rates of late payment surcharge. In case of open access to intra-State transmission and distribution networks, the Commission has deferred processing of new applications and existing applications for enhancement of capacity till the restoration of normalcy.