GUWAHATI: Even after the introduction of several new age technologies like online payment of bills by Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL), the consumers in Guwahati are still facing issues while paying their electricity bills.
The consumers have also been charged inappropriate or absurd amounts in their bills against their electricity use.
One disgruntled consumer, Vinay Chamaria, said that he had received a bill of Rs 19,801 for the month of May this year from APDCL, as opposed to the bills he usually receive. The exorbitantly high amount was charged for Chamaria’s commercial establishment in Kharguli.
In February and April, Chamaria received electricity bills for Rs 2,389 and Rs 2,342 respectively, for the same commercial complex.
Speaking to G Plus, Chamaria said, “It’s completely illogical to receive an electricity bill of Rs 19,000 in a month. Though payment of bill can be done online and is both easy and accessible, the procedure to file complaints online is not available.”
He also added that the complaint procedure is too long to complete and he had to visit the APDCL office 3-4 times to get his complaint registered.
Vasundhara, another resident from Birkuchi area of the city, has also complained about receiving a preposterous bill from APDCL.
She said, “Once, I received a bill of Rs 5,000, whereas the maximum amount I had paid earlier for electricity even in the summers was Rs 2,000. It is very difficult to file complaints with APDCL. To raise a complaint, you have to pay the bill first, irrespective of the amount of money you are being charged with and then only you can raise a complaint. The process has changed now, but we still face problems.”
She also complained that even if there was a complaint, the bills were not rectified or looked upon by the APDCL. So, the people were bound to pay the amount on the bill they received.
APDCL, however, had a different tale to tell and said that the blame lay on human intervention.
While speaking to G Plus, APDCL Public Relations Officer (PRO) Priyom Dutta said, “We are bound to have human errors whenever there is human intervention. But we can rectify the errors with the help of a new device that we are planning to install.”
According to Dutta, the new device, which is called three-phase meter or smart meter, is designed to read the units digitally without human intervention.
Dutta added, “Installation of the smart meters will be carried out in the next few months to ensure that no human engagement is there in the matter of measuring energy units used by a consumer. This will help the bills to be revised automatically. This will also ensure that the counting meters will not be rigged.”
With regard to complaints, she said that it’s not difficult to reach out to APDCL, which has set up a WhatsApp number and other helpline numbers for people to put up their queries and complaints.
APDCL currently charges differently from both the domestic and commercial consumers. For commercial load above 0.5 kilowatt (kw) and up to 25 kw, APDCL charges Rs 7.90 per kilowatt hour (kWh).
In addition, APDCL charges Rs 4.60 per kilowatt hour (kWh) for consumers consuming between 0.5 kw and 1 kilowatt hour per day (kWh/day), which is the lowest charge as per the APDCL tariff list approved for the year 2019-20.