Amid the COVID pandemic and the successive lockdowns ever since March last, citizens of Guwahati today are an apprehensive lot. Compared to other districts of the state, Guwahatians are dealing with massive spikes in the number of COVID positive cases resulting in further lockdowns and currently an uneasy Unlock thereby leading to financial troubles in almost every household.
What has added to this economic onslaught are the electricity bills generated during this period of lockdown, mostly for the month of July.
Many citizens were found raising the issue on various social media platforms and many others have found themselves identifying with the problem.
Nipen Bora (name changed), a resident of Kahilipara said, “When I saw the electricity bill for this month, I was shocked to see such a high figure. I have a commercial connection as there are many shops in the complex. But ever since the lockdown started in March they were all closed. Some did open for a few days but then again, many shops and businesses have not opened due to the night curfew and other irregularity issues. Given this, how are such high bills being generated?”
“I had not given much thought to the previous bills. But when I checked the meter reading for this month, it was not even close to what was mentioned in the bill. The previous month’s meter reading was 6647-kilowatt hour (KWh) and for this month, that is for the period from 1st June to 1st July, the meter reading shown on the bill was 6821 KWh. Now, this is 174 KWh added. The bill amount was Rs. 1,819. But when I checked the meter, it was not even close to the reading mentioned in the bill. So I filled a complaint online on the APDCL website,” Bora added.
He continued, “After the complaint was raised, a new bill was generated, and the new meter reading was 6739 KWh and the bill amount got lowered to Rs. 1,191. There was a difference of Rs. 628.”
Like Nipen Bora, many others have raised a similar concern.
Duke Das, a resident of Bharalumukh, informed that there have been irregularities in collecting the meter readings for the lockdown period. “The person coming to collect our meter reading every month did not come last month. There were also lapses earlier at the beginning of the lockdown. But my bill is high compared to other months. I have spoken with many of my friends and relatives residing in other parts of Guwahati and even they have agreed with me,” he said.
Many people have noticed major differences in the electricity charges and the sudden rise during the lockdown period. While a few concerned have raised the issue, many Guwahatians have not ascribed it to the lockdown and the summer season.
“I got a big bill for the last couple of months but thought it was due to the regular usage of air-conditioners and fans, etc. Also due to complete lockdown, all family members are at home using all electrical appliances. But when my friend called up regarding the issue, I gave it a proper thought. I think it’s a bit more than the actual reading,” said an office-goer from Uzan Bazar.
It has been found that while a few do keep track of their monthly electricity bills, many people also tend to overlook the visits made by the electricity board meter readers to collect meter readings and the differences in their electricity bills. The payments are made as per the bill without any questions being asked.
However, this trust on the electricity board - the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) – is now being questioned. The nodal agency has been procuring ad hoc amounts from the citizens of Guwahati.
G Plus reached out to APDCL officials with the query of the citizens.
Priyom Dutta, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of APDCL said, “We were not able to collect the meter readings for the last month in a few areas of Guwahati due to the lockdown. So we have generated the bills for July on estimated readings over the previous months. But there is also another issue. Many people have been constantly asked to change and upgrade their meters as their old meters do not provide the actual reading and the bills calculated are usually much less than the actual usage. They are being under-billed. For those people who have been constantly ignoring our pleas, we have charged them a bill inflated by 10 percent. This is like a warning for them to change their meters.”
When asked whether a notice of changing the meters has ever been served on the customers, Dutta said that no such notice was ever sent. “We have also set up complaint desks at every sub-division. So customers who feel their bills are inappropriate can get it corrected.”
However, the customers with inflated bills including Nipen Bora denied having received any warning for changing their electricity meters. Rather, Duke Das informed that all his meters and other necessary requirements of electrical usage had been upgraded just a year or two ago.
Bhargav Kalita, Assistant Manager of APDCL said, “Due to complete lockdown being announced in Guwahati at the beginning of July, when the readings are taken, our designated meter-readers could not visit the consumers’ premises. Although the linemen are on emergency duties, the bills were made centrally taking an average of the previous months. But we would like to inform that for those customers who have received a higher bill, their amount will be adjusted with the next bill. Also, this is the same for customers who have paid less. They can expect a higher billing amount in the coming month. We will adjust all accounts then.”
“We will do the necessary adjustments by next month. But if customers wish to complain they may do at the various helpdesks provided at the sub-divisions and at Bijulee Bhawan (APDCL headquarters), Paltan Bazar. Online complaints can be raised at ‘feedback.apdcl@gmail.com’ or ‘support@apdcl.in”, informed Abhijit Sarma Barua, Chief General Manager (CR) of APDCL.