Inflated EB bills, meter readings roil consumers in Chennai

CHENNAI: Electricity consumers in Mugalivakkam, Chennai, allege that meter-reading errors have inflated their bills, forcing them to pay higher power charges.

Residents of VGN Lakshmi Nagar’s Kumarasamy Street have urged the Tamil Nadu electricity board to correct the readings and issue bills based on actual consumption. Residents alleged that bills were calculated on the assumption that meters had crossed certain consumption thresholds before the corresponding units were used.

They said this pushes consumers into higher tariff slabs and increases their bills. For instance, they said a consumer who had used 480 units could be billed for consumption exceeding 500 units because of an incorrect reading, resulting in additional charges.

Residents also alleged that meter readings were not taken on the scheduled dates, leaving them with less time to pay their bills.

They said details of the electricity charges for their apartment complex were uploaded only on the 10th of the month, leaving them just six days to pay instead of the usual 15-day period.