NOIDA: Taking serious note of the instructions given by Uttar Pradesh energy minister Shrikant Sharma, power distribution company Pashchimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PVVNL) said that it has imposed a fine of ₹10 lakh on a billing agency since March.
Officials of the PVVNL, which caters to Noida and some parts of Greater Noida, said that the fine has been imposed for incorrect meter readings and untimely disposal of electricity bills by meter reading company Inventive Software Solutions Private Limited.
The imposition of the fine on a billing agency by discoms, however, is not a new phenomenon in the state.
“According to the agreement, in case of any fault in metre reading or billing, the billing company is bound to pay the penalty. The fines are imposed if the company prepares the electricity bills without taking proper meter reading, or issues bills against surrendered connections. Discoms can also fine agencies for issuing bills based on false meter reading of closed meters,” PVVNL chief engineer (Noida) Virendra Nath Singh said.
Singh further said that nearly 5,000 consumers in Noida have complained about wrong bills or indiscriminate meter reading since the outbreak of Covid-19. “The billing company has been asked to correct the bills and meter reading without any delay. The officials concerned have also been warned to deliver the monthly electricity bills to consumers on time,” he said.
The chief engineer further said that at present, meters of over 12,000 consumers in Noida are not working properly. “As a result, consumers are facing difficulties in depositing their electricity bills on time. Necessary guidelines have been issued to replace these faulty meters and they will be replaced within a month,” he said.
When contacted, Lokesh Kumar, the in-charge of the Noida office (Sector 67) of Inventive Software Solutions Private Limited, said that as per the agreement with the discom, the company has no option other than to face the penalty. “Whatever fine is imposed on us, we will immediately clear it,” he said.
The state energy minister, on a number of occasions, had expressed anguish over the dilly-dallying approach of the UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) in executing agreements finalised with billing agencies. Last week, he had pointed out delays in arrangement of downloadable bills in urban and rural areas. “If electricity bills are not provided to consumers for more than three months then the recovery of unpaid meter readings will be done from billing agencies,” he said, while expressing concern over the billing agencies not being able to collect mobile numbers, meter numbers and GPS location of meters within the stipulated time.
