CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL) has admitted that lapses by its own officials – from chief engineers down to revenue supervisors – allowed faulty meter readings and billing errors to go unchecked, and has now warned of disciplinary action against those responsible.
The warning, part of the utility’s ongoing revenue reforms, is aimed at improving revenue collection, ensuring accurate billing and enhancing consumer satisfaction. The move comes amid a rise in complaints from domestic consumers over unusually high electricity bills.
An internal communication – accessed by TNIE – issued by the director (finance) to all chief engineers, states that field verification by revenue and accounts supervisors “has not been carried out properly”, and inspections by electricity distribution circle officials “have not been conducted effectively”.
The result was a spate of complaints from domestic consumers hit with unusually high bills which could be traced to defective meters, wrong readings and billing anomalies that a basic inspection should have caught, the circular said.
The communication also points out that defective meters were routinely missed at the first stage, with the job of fixing them dumped entirely on section offices. This, the communication said, had led to negligence in several cases. TNPDCL said this had directly dented consumer confidence and exposed how poorly its own billing and inspection procedures were being enforced on the ground.
The utility has now proposed timely inspections, quick action on consumer complaints, and accurate readings. To enforce this, TNPDCL has ordered, following the directions of director (finance), periodic inspections and mass verification drives in every section to catch defective meters and clear grievances without delay. Superintending engineers have been told to fix individual responsibility within circles and zonal offices to ensure accountability is maintained.Officials have also been asked to closely monitor billing operations and take corrective measures immediately wherever irregularities are noticed.