Public rage rises over high electricity bill; TNPDCL cracks down on assessors

CHENNAI: Facing mounting public anger over inflated electricity bills, which is threatening to blow up into a political issue for the TVK-led government, the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited has directed its field machinery to tighten billing assessments and warned of disciplinary action against officials found responsible for erroneous bills.

Besides complaints from the public alleging excessive bi-monthly bills, delayed meter readings, and denial of the free electricity benefit, the Director (Finance), too, had flagged continuing instances of abnormal billing in several sections, saying faulty meter readings, defective meters, and lapses in the billing process had resulted in incorrect and inflated bills being issued to household consumers, which was also affecting the utility's finances.

Taking note of it, TNPDCL issued a circular addressed to all Superintending Engineers, instructing them to ensure error-free billing assessments, stricter field inspections, and fixed accountability at every level to prevent both consumer grievances and revenue leakages.

Citing inspection reports and consumer complaints, it pointed to inadequate field verification by revenue supervisors, assessment supervisors, assistant accounts officers and other assessment officials. It was also found that inspections at the electricity distribution circle level were insufficient and that defective meters were often not identified early, allowing billing errors to continue until consumers complained, the corporation said.

Despite repeated instructions from the TNPDCL headquarters to ensure accurate billing and improve consumer satisfaction, such deficiencies continued to persist, it noted.

To address the issue, periodic surprise inspections, including mass verification drives, should be held across all circles, and assessment staff should scrutinise meter readings carefully, it said, cautioning that inspection officials’ performance would be documented and reviewed regularly.

Superintending Engineers have also been instructed to assign clear responsibility to officers at the circle, division, and sub-division levels to ensure prompt, accurate, and consumer-friendly billing, it said.

The employees’ unions, however, attributed the recurring billing errors to severe staff shortages. Central Organisation of Tamil Nadu Electricity Employees president S Kannan said nearly 60% of the 7,565 assessor posts and about 42% of the 3,961 inspector of assessment posts are lying vacant. Assessors are responsible for door-to-door meter readings, while inspectors supervise the process.

"Because of the acute vacancies, inspectors themselves are forced to take meter readings, while revenue supervisors, who should be monitoring field work, are deployed for bill collection at section offices. Meter reading work is increasingly being outsourced, leading to more errors. Unless the vacancies are filled, these problems will continue," he said.

When asked, a senior TNPDCL official said steps were under way to fill the vacancies and that the utility was considering deploying field assistants for meter reading until regular appointments are made.