UP power minister asks UPPCL to ensure 'correct, timely' billing to people

 Blaming wrong and delayed billing to consumers for a whopping Rs 90,000 crore loss to the electricity department, Power Minister Shrikant Sharma has asked the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited to take corrective measures and asserted the state government was committed to providing electricity to people at an affordable rate.

Sharma told PTI on Wednesday that he has asked the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) to ensure "correct and timely" billing to consumers as he expressed his unhappiness over the fact that over 30 percent of urban and 75 percent of rural consumers were not paying their bills.

The main reason for people not paying their bills is that they are getting inflated and delayed bills, he said.

Sharma has also urged Chief Minister Yogi Aadityanath to take punitive action against those responsible for not executing an agreement the UPPCL has with six billing agencies.

The UPPCL had entered into an agreement with six billing agencies in 2018 to take a number of measures, including the deployment of meter readers in their respective regions and ensuring "downloadable billing" for consumers within 12 and eight months in rural and urban areas respectively.

This has not happened even though more than two years have passed since the agreement was signed, he said.

Against the goal of 97 percent, they have achieved only two-three percent of the target. Sharma has written to the UPPCL, expressing his anguish at this and asked it to take appropriate measures. 

(IMAGE CREDITS:PTI)