Kolkata: If everything goes according to plan, residents of Salt Lake and New Town will receive electricity bills every month instead of every three months later this year.
State Secretary of the Additional Head (Power) S Suresh Kumar has set a rolling ball with a letter to the State Power Watchdog West Bengal Electricity Watchdog (WBERC), asking him to ensure that Bengal Bengal State Distribution Co.
Ltd.
(WBSEDCL) switches from the existing quarterly billing system to monthly format.
“All services – telecommunications, internet, and power provided by other utilities – are billed every month.
WBSEDCL follows a quarterly cycle because the WBERC regulations that set power utility performance standards do not define the term ‘billing cycle’.
The government has now directed WBERC to define the billing period Clearly as a month for all consumers and has asked the last to know the transition plan, “said an official power official.
Electricity bills in Kolkata, served by Cesc’s personal utility, generated every month.
Officials at the WBSEDCL said the transition from the billing system that had been followed since 1955 was full of difficulties and raises many challenges, including the requirements for outsourcing agents to recruit more meter readers, the appointment of cashiers at 538 WBSEDCL countries, making changes in billing software and printing Three bills.
“WBSEDCL supplies the power to the most remote hamlets and covers from the hill to the sea.
Only kolkata and suburban and the bags of Durgapur and Burnpur are served by others.
So, the task is the consequences of humongous and financial,” said an official.
The State Assembly Committee on the power and non-conventional energy sources, which reasoned about this problem, against this problem, is not only disparity in the WBSEDCL billing system that is glaring when compared to standard practices followed by other utilities, it also causes anomalies in the calculation of bills, accordingly The pace slabs are contrary to consumer interest.
“It also leads to the default level of 20.5% which is not a very healthy reflection on the system,” said an official power official.
At present, the WBSEDCL technical and commercial losses contribute almost 250 crores per month.
Recognizing the challenges in the transition, the electricity department has suggested utilities to start with Salt Lake and New Town some time before Durga Puja and gradually add the city center first, followed by semi-urban and later, rural consumers.
“A beginning must be made.
Faster is better.
We will try to start before this puja, and then glide elsewhere,” said an official.