2 weeks Ago
BENGALURU: If you haven't paid your electricity bill even 30 days after the due date , Bangalore Electricity Supply Company ( Bescom ) will disconnect power supply with immediate effect, reports Niranjan Kaggere. In a major shift from its previous stand of giving considerable time to defaulters , Bescom has decided to strictly enforce the regulation of the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC). The commission had directed Escoms to disconnect power connections of consumers who fail to pay their electricity charges within 30 days of receiving the bill or fail to pay up the required additional security deposit.
Starting from Sept 1, Bescom has decided to fully comply with the KERC guidelines . Those paying bill online can show receipts A Bescom statement said, "All domestic, commercial consumers and apartments, along with temporary electricity connections, must ensure payment of their bills within the stipulated time of 30 days. If anyone fails to clear dues, it will result in disconnection on the day of meter reading , scheduled in the first 15 days of every month.
" All these days, meter readers and power men (linemen) used to visit the premises of the defaulters post the meter reading cycle of 15 days to disconnect the electricity supply. However, from Sunday, the power men will accompany meter readers during their first visit itself and will immediately disconnect supply to consumers with overdue bills. Currently, a period of 15 days is provided for electricity bill payments until the end of the due date without any interest.
Further, an additional 15-day grace period is provided for payments with interest after due date. "Any dues above Rs 100 will be considered defaulted and such connections will be disconnected," a senior Bescom official explained. In case of consumers paying bills online, the payment doesn't reflect immediately in the Bescom system.
In such cases, consumers have been asked to show their payment receipt to the Bescom staff to avoid disconnection..
