April, May power bill payments put 'in abeyance'; 25.5L consumers to get benefit

Kolkata: Stepping back from its stand after the intervention of the state government, CESC on Sunday announced to put "in abeyance" the amount of April and May that was included in the electricity bill of June. The move would benefit around 25.5 lakh consumers.

At the same time, the due dates for paying the bills have also been extended.

Stating it as a win for the residents of Kolkata, Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee tweeted: "CESC announces relief to 25.5 lakh consumers out of total 33 lakh consumers in Kolkata. Now, ONLY June's actual consumption will have to be paid. Amounts billed for the 2 months of April and May in June have been put in abeyance. The payment dates too stand extended. Kolkata wins!"

In a tweet, the CESC has stated that "in consideration of the inconvenience of certain sections of society, we have decided to keep in abeyance the amount for the last two months included in the current bills of all low voltage domestic consumers".

The electric utility has further stated that "in effect, such consumers are to pay now only the amount pertaining to their consumption for the current months included in the above bills."

The CESC authorities will be working out on its details considering the suitable regulatory guidelines and the modalities will be announced shortly.

Several allegations of excessive billing by CESC were reported and it led to an uproar in the past few days as a large number of consumers including the state Power Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay found themselves in a clueless situation after receiving bills of "unexpected amount".

Chattopadhyay had even held meetings with senior officials and directed them to publish advertisements in newspapers stating the details on the basis of which the electricity bills have been calculated and sent to the consumers.

After CESC's announcement, Chattopadhyay said: "On Sunday, CESC announced that April and May months bill abeyance for the time being. Only the bill of June that was given in July has to be paid by consumers. There were grievances among CESC consumers. I personally continuously put pressure on them. I feel that they (CESC) have stepped back in front of the grievances of people. This is the win of the residents of Kolkata and CESC's consumers."