Inflated bills: MSEDCL’s special cells to look into complaints

With an increasing number of complaints from consumers over receiving inflated power bills, the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL)

With an increasing number of complaints from consumers over receiving inflated power bills, the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) has formed grievance redressal cells at all its branches to address queries related to bills. MSEDCL will also organise webinars related to bills.

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These cells will comprise officials from the technical, finance, accounting and IT departments. Apart from this, the power distribution company will also arrange meetings in societies to address queries. The state distribution agency supplies power to 2.30 crore consumers in Maharashtra.

“We will try to address all the doubts raised by consumers. We will also adhere to social distancing norms while addressing the meetings,” a senior official from MSEDCL said.

Consumers have taken over social media to complain about inflated bills received in the last week.

Owing to the lockdown and as per the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) guidelines, meter-reading was suspended in March-end and consumers were billed as per average usage in the months of December, January and February. MSEDCL and other distribution companies, however, started actual meter reading in June (except in containment zones) and have released combined bills to consumers. The companies have maintained that there are no errors and the bills reflect actual usage.

Tata Power, which has seven lakh consumers in Mumbai and Adani Electricity Mumbai Limited (AEML), which has 27 lakh consumers in the city, has also stated that usage has increased owing to consumers being home 24*7 during the lockdown.

In a statement released recently, Tata Power said, “For the period of 91 days for which the bills are being sent out, the family remained inside the home for all 24 hours. Tata Power would like the consumers to look for such lifestyle changes while reflecting over the last three months of lockdown and compare it with pre-lockdown lifestyle or last year same months.”

An AEML spokesperson said, “Bills were generated on the lower side being an average of preceding three months - Dec, Jan and Feb, which are winter months. Actual consumption in the months of Apr, May and June is comparatively higher due to seasonal impact (summer) and increased usage (the advent of lockdown/ work from home).”