PANJIM: Electricity consumers in Goa will receive monthly bills from June as the government is set to scrap the bi-monthly billing system.
Addressing a press briefing on Friday, Power Minister Milind Naik said, “The new system will solve the irregular billing problem. (Consumers in) 22 sub-divisions have already come under this fresh initiative, while the remaining 11 will get the benefit within a fortnight to one month.”
Goa Electronics Limited (GEL) was tasked with generating the bills after Bangalore-based BCITS could not cope with the work and its contract expired in September 2014.
The monthly billing system, however, will not be hassle-free. Naik said that some consumers who paid bills through banks could be charged arrears despite making the payment on time.
He quickly added, “The assistant engineers in the respective sub-divisions have been strictly instructed to rectify the bills of such consumers.”
Naik continued, “The problem is that there is a gap of nearly 15 days from the bank to the department. In monthly billing system, by the time the department is informed about the payment by a particular consumer, the bill for the next month is generated with arrears. But the AEs are asked to correct the tariff.”
To resolve the issue, GEL prepared a ‘format’ to electronically connect banks with the electricity department. A GEL official at the briefing said, “The format is finalized. This will ensure the electricity department is informed about the bill payment on the very same day.”
The state also began imposing a 14 percent hike from April through an order by JERC.
