HYDERABAD: If there is no power supply beyond a specific duration, you will receive a compensation from the Discom concerned. You will also get a compensation for the number of interruptions in power supply beyond the limit specified by the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC).Apart from this, consumers can claim compensation for delay in issuing a connection, disconnection, reconnection and shifting, according to the Draft Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020 issued by the Ministry of Power. Also, the State Commissions will shortly fix timelines for tasks such as changing consumer category, load and consumer details, replacing defective meters, and resolving voltage- and bill-related complaints. If discoms fail to adhere to these timelines, consumers can claim compensation.
According to the draft rules, the distribution licensees, within six months from the date of notification of the regulation commission, shall create an online facility on which consumers may register and claim compensation. The payment shall be adjusted against current and/or future electricity bills within a stipulated timeframe. A dedicated 24X7 toll-free call centre, too, should be set up for consumers. While other modes — paper application, email, mobile and website — to provide services may continue, the licensees shall endeavour to provide all services through a common Customer Relation Manager (CRM) System to get a unified view of all the services. The CRM will send SMS/email alerts to consumers.
In case of unplanned outages or faults, consumers should be intimated through SMS or any other electronic medium, along with the estimated restoration time. The Ministry, which has proposed a grievance redressal mechanism, has sought comments from the public on the draft rules by September 30.