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Electricity bill-related issues hassle Chandigarh residents

Hindustan Times, Chandigarh | By
Aug 06, 2020 11:08 AM IST

UT electricity department is charging four months’ bill in one go. Besides, the department is also not sending hard copies of bills and has reduced the time given for payment, say residents.

Residents are a harried lot as the UT electricity department is charging four months’ bill in one go, even as many are struggling with the monthly expenses amid the lockdown. Besides, the department is also not sending hard copies of bills and has reduced the time given for payment, say residents.

“It is very difficult for the residents, particularly, retired senior citizens to pay large amounts,” said Hitesh Puri, chairman, Chandigarh Residents Association Welfare Federation.

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“In addition to it, the department is also not giving the benefits of four months’ lower slabs. The electricity charges are levied depending on the slab of consumption. For every month ,there are two slabs, but with four months’ bills being charged in one go, instead of getting benefits of lower slabs four times, residents are only getting it only once. This is disturbing the monthly budgets of tresidents,” added Puri.

NO HARD COPY OF BILLS

Residents also complain that not all power consumers are receiving hard copies of the bills. “Residents have to check the bills online and sometimes, they get an SMS. This is also creating confusion. The administration should either allow for staggered payment of the bills, or relax the deadline for the payment of the bill by 15 days,” said Baljinder Singh Bittu, chairman, Federation of Sector Welfare Associations of Chandigarh (FOSWAC).

RK Garg, a city-based RTI activist, said, “The electricity department has skipped the mandatory 15 days’ time to pay electricity bills. On August 4, I received the department’s message on my mobile regarding the bill. I was surprised to see that the due date is on August 14. So, the electricity department has not given mandatory 15 days’ time to pay hefty bills.”

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