E-Paper
KESCo: What price computerisation?
STRANGE ARE the ways of Kanpur Electric Supply Company (KESCo). While there is global stress on power conservation, the computerised billing system of KESCo forces consumers to waste electricity in order to get a correct bill.
STRANGE ARE the ways of Kanpur Electric Supply Company (KESCo). While there is global stress on power conservation, the computerised billing system of KESCo forces consumers to waste electricity in order to get a correct bill.
Under the existing billing system , if a house has a three- phase power connection and is lying vacant, the house owner will have to pay a bill for the fixed 3456 units after every two months. The computer will not consider the fact that the house is vacant. It will treat the meter as “faulty’ and charge for the fixed units.
According to KESCo authorities, the billing software in the computers requires an addition of a few units every month at the time of billing. In case the old reading is fed into the computer, it will reject it and treating the meter as faulty, issue a bill for the fixed units.
Earlier, when the bills were prepared manually, the consumers had the privilege of informing in writing about the vacant status of the house. If the house owners specified the period , the KESCo considered the request of not issuing the bill for the fixed units and only charged monthly rent.
Now under the new computerised system, written intimation to KESCo about the non-occupancy of the house has no meaning. The officials suggest that in case of vacant houses, the house owner should show a consumption of at least two to three units which can satisfy the computer programme that the meter is in operation and the consumption is low.
The officials say that it is irrelevant whether electricity is used for about an hour or two or a five hundred watt lamp is switched on to show a consumption of two to five units every month. For them, wastage of power is essential to get correct electricity bill.
