Jamshedpur, April 28 : Delay in distribution of electricity bills is irking consumers of Jharkhand UrjaVikas Nigam Ltd’s (JUVNL).
According to JUVNL Singhbhum electricity supply area , private agency assigned for revenue collection is yet to start functioning.The private agency, Quess Corporation Ltd which bagged the tender for the jobs was supposed to begin work from April 25, but the company has not yet set its infrastructure for the job.
According to information, there are about 4.35 lakh domestic consumers and about 375 industrial consumers under the Singhbhum electricity supply area from the twin districts of Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawandistrict.All the consumers are expected to receive the bill by next month only. Of the total domestic consumers, 1.85 lakh are urban consumers, who make largest amount of revenue next to the industrial consumers.
According to information on an average Rs 67 crores of power bills is collected from the Singhbhum electricity supply area, which consists of two electrical circles — Jamshedpur circle and Chaibasa circle every month.
A resident of Jugsalai said � We have been waiting for bills and had been enquiring. No official information has been passed to us. Every month the JUVNL would provide the power bills between a period starting from 20th and 28th of every month. But this month none of us have received any power bill as of now�.
Quess Corps’ official who has his office in the steel city admitted that they could start the work as they are yet to make the software for meter reading and the preparation of bills. Quess Corps’ personnel to be called “Urja Mitra” will be working with the help of JUVNL staff. They would reach to the consumers’ houses with the electronic gadgets and take snap of the reading on the meter for providing the bills through smartphone then and there. The Urja Mitra will also collect the amount mentioned in the power bills at the same visit.
“As per the directive, the company entrusted to provide powerbill to the consumers should do its job by 15th of every month, but itwould make inordinate delay. Unfortunately, this time we did not get the bill at all. As a result of which the next month we will have topay the power bill for two months, which will affect our budgetconsiderably,” said Ram RatanSahee, a consumer who reside at theAdityapur Colony.