Post-lockdown power bills a shocker for Hyderabad residents
HYDERABAD: Have the power bills for the last three months given you a bolt from the blue yet? If it has, you are not alone.
The meter readings of the Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TSSPDCL) have been drawing up power bills that are nothing short of exorbitant.
The TSSPDCL had earlier said that citizens could pay the bills generated in the corresponding months of the previous year owing to the Covid crisis.
However, it has now generated bills for the last three months in one go, without taking into account the change in slab levels. Many residents of the city are overwhelmed by the unreasonably high amounts they have been asked to pay. “I’d paid the electricity bill up to April 2020 based on the consumption last year. However, in May, I received a bill of Rs 6,390 for three months after adjustments in the amount paid, without taking into account the slab rate for each month,” tweeted PSV Rao, a consumer.
Sarath, another consumer, said, “It’s not fair to collect electricity bill for three months in a single invoice. Many customers now have bills of a higher slab.” However, officials say that the idea has been misconstrued by the public. “Earlier, when the company said that consumers could pay bills generated during the corresponding period of 2019, they were also told that the amount would be adjusted later,” said a TSSPDCL official.
“We are now adjusting the amount.” Citizens, meanwhile, are terming the move unfair as people who had already paid the money during the lockdown (as advised by the company) have also received bills with a newer slab rate for a period of nearly 80 to 90 days. Officials further said that the slab rate has changed due to the increase in consumption. “Consumption was more during the lockdown period. Many people worked from their homes, and hence, their bills have also shot up,” an official source said.
TPCC slams power bill hike
Hyerabad: The TPCC on Friday alleged that power bills in the State were skyrocketing as the authorities were taking three months’ meter reading in one go, pushing the consumers to a higher traffic bracket. TPCC spokesperson Indira Shoban asked the TSSPDCL why it was not dividing the meter reading into three parts
Change in slab levels
The slab rate for many consumers has increased from LT 1 (A) — up to 100-units a month — to LT 1 (B) (II), in which consumption is over 200 units. The charges are almost doubled