BSES: Arrears for July in some cases
Richi Verma, TNN 4 September 2009

NEW DELHI: Reliance-backed power discom BSES is unmoved by the controversy surrounding its latest bills. CEO Arun Kanchan claimed that only 3% of
their 25 lakh consumers had got high bills in August and that was only because they had not been billed for a few days in July due to a software problem. Kanchan insisted there were no problems in other bills and that consumption and subsidy withdrawal had led to higher bills.

"There are 90,000 consumers who got a very low bill in the month of July. So, in August, we billed them for July and August and gave them credit for whatever they had paid in July. We have done a full disclosure in our bill. Two subsidies have been withdrawn, including the Re 1 per unit which I am told the government intends to continue in retrospect. The orders have not yet come, but whenever they are received, credit will be applied to those bills with retrospect and some consumers might even get bills in negative next month,'' Kanchan said.

While the CEO insisted that the July bills were abnormally low due to a software glitch, he refused to consider the possibility that the August bills could be much higher for similar reasons. "There is no question of higher bills being generated. We have checked this. The other bills from single-phase meters will be looked at but there is no such problem there,'' said Kanchan.

What the discom refuses to say is why the billing cycle was changed at a time when the government's two subsidies also ended. "It's wrong time for the government and they are getting the flak for high bills from irate consumers. If there was a glitch in the July billing, BSES should have issued a clarification then itself rather than wait for the August bills to be issued,'' said an official on condition of anonymity.

The discom has been directed to submit a report to DERC and the state government next week and a personal explanation where bills are 50% more than the corresponding period last year. "If bills are found faulty and people have been overbilled, then they will be get full refunds as arrears in the next billing,'' said a senior power department official.

Residents are not convinced. "Complaints are not confined to a particular area. The government and DERC need to investigate further,'' said Anil Dutta, a resident of Vikaspuri.