UP Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) on Wednesday directed the officials to lodge FIRs against meter readers if they are found guilty of deliberately handing out incorrect or inflated bills to consumers.
Holding a video conference with the discom MDs and other officials, UPPCL chairman and principal secretary (energy) Alok Kumar even asked the Lucknow Electricity Supply Administration (LESA) chief engineer to lodge an FIR against meter readers responsible for issuing incorrect bills to consumers in Aminabad, Daliganj and Gomti Nagar.
He pulled up the officials for not taking any action against such meter readers.
Kumar said a large number of complaints regarding incorrect billing were being received from all parts of the state and even chief minister Yogi Adityanath and chief secretary Rajive Kumar had taken cognizance of the matter.
“The discoms should ensure that consumes receive correct bills by lodging FIRs against meter readers and billing agencies if they are found guilty of deliberately issuing wrong bills,” he told the discom MDs.
He said all the complaints received from consumers must be disposed of effectively and immediately. He asked the MDs to ensure wide publicity of the helpline number (1912) which consumers could use to lodge any complaint related to power supply, transformer damage, or delay in issuance of a power connection.
{{/usCountry}}He said all the complaints received from consumers must be disposed of effectively and immediately. He asked the MDs to ensure wide publicity of the helpline number (1912) which consumers could use to lodge any complaint related to power supply, transformer damage, or delay in issuance of a power connection.
{{/usCountry}}Kumar expressed concern over the increased aggregate technical and commercial losses in the Agra and Varanasi discoms and warned of action against the engineers concerned if the losses did not come down next month.
UPERC TO ANNOUNCE REVISED TARIFF TODAY
UP Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) will announce the revised retail power tariff for 2017-18 here on Thursday making the use of electricity costlier for consumers from next month.
The Commission is expected to announce an average tariff hike of 12% though the impact at the UPPCL’s end will be only 4.5% given the fact that it has only four months left in the current financial year to recover the bills at the revised tariff.
The maximum hike, according to sources, would be for rural domestic consumers while the increase for urban domestic consumers will be only 5%. There is no proposal for tariff hike for industries.
The revised tariff may come into effect from December 1.