Power charges for 'Low Tensions Category' based on April 2019 bill

The Telangana State Electricity Regulatory Commission (TSERC) has allowed the discoms to collect power bills for April 2020 from LT (Low Tension Category) consumers equivalent to the bill amount paid in the same month last year.

The orders were issued by TSERC Chairman T Sriranga Rao, after the discoms — Southern Power Distribution Company of Telangana Ltd (TSSPDCL) and Northern Power Distribution Company of Telangana (TSNPDCL) — expressed their inability to issue bills through meter reading from the consumers’ residences due to the fear of Covid-19 and the need to maintain social distancing. The orders say that the petitioners (discoms) shall suspend the non-essential services, which require visiting consumer premises or meeting consumer in person i.e. meter reading, billing, bill collection at manual bill payment counters etc.

Due to the absence of meter reading, for LT-I domestic, street lighting and



protected water supply categories, the bill will be the same as that of April 2019. For new connections (in the same categories) issued after April 1, 2019 to February 29, 2020, the bill will be equivalent to that of March 2020. Consumers whose LT-I connections were issued in March 2020 will have to pay the bill for the minimum demand.

For all other LT categories (except LT-V Agriculture), the bill will be 50 per cent of the amount paid for April 2019 for the consumers who were existing in March 2019.

The Commission said the consumers shall be intimated about their estimated bills through digital channels such as SMS, mobile apps, and websites etc. It also directed the discoms to take meter reading in the next billing cycle immediately after the lifting of the lockdown for arriving at actual consumption and to regularise bills raised on a provisional basis.