Starting August 1, consumers of the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) will be given three days advance notice of impending power supply disconnection for non-payment of bills. This is expected to reduce the delays which are associated with reconnection after payment which has been a long-standing complaint of consumers.
Making the announcement at a meeting with members of the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Industry and Commerce (FKCCI) on Thursday. Managing Director of the company P Manivannan said, “We shall now stick a reminder on your door to ensure that the message gets across. There were several communication gaps before where consumers complained of not having received the bill or immediate disconnections.”
Manivannan also proposed the setting up of separate feeders for commercial establishment on a cost sharing basis. The provision of separate feeders will help industries take advantage of low cost night time power and thus ensure an uninterrupted power supply to commercial establishments, he noted.
“If you agree to a 50 per cent cost sharing agreement, we can have a contract for 15 years and go ahead with the project, it will cost approximately 3.5 crore for a 2 km stretch,” Manivannan said.
Commenting on new measures being taken by BESCOM, he said that all staffers-from linemen to the MD himself-would undergo skill set training programmes and also various other modules on soft skills. “We have invited tenders and are looking at a company with tie ups with foreign companies. The project is expected to cost `3.5 crore,” he stated.
He also added that a separate advocate would be appointed to interact with consumers at the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum. “This will ensure better access to BESCOM for our customers,” he said.