BENGALURU: On the directives of Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC), starting September 1, energy supply companies including Bescom will enforce the KERC regulations strictly, and power supply to those consumers who do not clear their bills within 30 days of receiving the bills will be disconnected.
The Bescom issued a statement, “The power supply for consumers who fail to pay their electricity bills within 30 days of receiving the bill, or do not pay the required additional security deposit, will be disconnected.”
“Domestic and commercial consumers, apartments and consumers with temporary connections, must ensure bills are paid within the stipulated 30 days timeframe. Failing to do so, will result in disconnection on the day of metre reading, which is typically done in the first 15 days of every month.”
A Bescom official said that currently, after the metre reading in the first 15 days of each month, metre readers, along with linemen, used to revisit consumers with outstanding bills, before disconnecting their electricity supply. But from September 1, linemen will accompany the metre readers and from the very first visit itself, supply will be immediately disconnected, and the over due bills will be handed over.
Consumers will be given a duration of 15 days duration to pay the bills without any interest. An additional 15-day grace period is available for payments with interest, after the due date.
However, if the bill remains unpaid, the power supply will be disconnected on the next metre reading day.
If bills are paid online, there may be instances where the payment does not immediately reflect in the system. In such cases, consumers are advised to present their payment receipt to the staffers to avoid disconnection.