UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) will penalise private firms entrusted with the job of sending electricity bills to consumers if inflated bills are sent.
The UPPCL will lodge FIR against the erring firms and the officers of the power utility for the lapses causing hardship to the consumers and affecting revenue recovery.
Directions to this effect were issued by Energy Minister Shrikant Sharma while reviewing the progress of revenue recovery by the UPPCL and its four subsidiaries.
The minister had made a surprise inspection of one power sub-station and bill payment centre in Chinhat where several consumers complained of getting inflated bills. The consumers also complained that they had to run from pillar to post to get the bills corrected and make payment.
The minister also apologised to one elderly consumer who had visited the sub-station to get the bill corrected but had failed in his efforts.
The minister assured the consumers of action against those responsible for the inconvenience to them.
During the review meeting on Sunday, Sharma also directed the UPPCL officials to ensure that the benefit of the surcharge waiver reached the consumers so that maximum revenue collection became possible by the end of the fiscal 2019-20 on March 31.
For the relief of the power consumers, the UPPCL has launched compounding scheme under which the power consumers can pay the arrears in easy instalments.
The scheme is only for power consumers with connected load of 4 kW. The last date for availing of the benefit of the scheme after registration has been extended to March 31. The surcharge and penal interest will be waived for consumers availing the benefit.
A similar scheme has been launched for farmers having electricity connection for private tube well. The present cost of per unit electricity is Rs 7.35 while the cost for private tube wells is only Rs 1.21 per unit.
For the below poverty line (BPL) consumers, the power tariff is Rs 3 per unit for the first 100 units and while the tariff for rural domestic consumers is Rs 3.35 per unit on the consumption of 100 units.
The state government provides subsidy to the UPPCL on the loss incurred by the power utility in supply of power at low rates to private tube wells, BPL and rural unmetered power connections.
The energy minister said the government was committed for providing uninterrupted power to all categories of consumers and at the same time the UPPCL should collect revenue for the power supplied to the consumers.