Faulty readings give slum colony jolt

CHENNAI: G Bhavani got a shock when she saw what Tangedco billed her for the power she consumed in February-March period.

“Rs 4,527 was what the bill showed. I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing,” said Bhavani. Her anguish is not misplaced. Bhavani lives in the Slum Clearance Board resettlement colony in Ezhil Nagar, Perumbakkam. Her flat, whose dwelling area is less than 300sqft, has two fans, a TV, a mixer-grinder, a refrigerator and three light bulbs.

Inflated and incorrect meter readings noted down by a Tangedco assessor has caused hardships to resettled families like Bhavani's in Perumbakkam recently. Tangedco officials told TOI that an assessor was found to have falsified meter readings, which led to power bills running into several thousands of rupees generated in the names of these low income families.

What’s worse is that the department forced these families to pay up instead of inquiring into how such high value bills were generated from tenement colonies. “When a few of us refused to pay unless the department explained how these bill amounts were reached, they simply disconnected the power. We were without power for a week. We had no choice but to arrange the money and pay to have the power restored,” lamented A Alamelu, a resident of Ezhil Nagar.

The extent of the faulty readings came to light when residents checked their electronic meter after being issued the high value bills. “I found out that I had already paid for the consumption of 2,020 units of power by January. A few days ago I discovered that I have only consumed 1,796 units so far, when I checked the meter,” said

K Kasthuri

, a Perumbakkam resident.

At least a dozen families approached TOI with their EB cards displaying inflated bills. “We have taken action against the assessor. He has been asked to provide an explanation for his actions based on which a departmental inquiry will be instituted,” said a Medavakkam circle Tangedco official in response.

TOI spoke to an assessor, who requested anonymity, who said that Tangedco had outsourced the assessor work to people who were not adequately trained to note down consumed units from an electronic meter. “The new (electronic) meters do not display the consumed units like the previous wheel-based meter. Sometimes, assessors have incorrectly noted down the first number that pops up on the screen assuming it to be the consumption reading,” he said.

Tangedco senior officials however maintained that the problem occurred because the tenement dwellers were ‘mass-billed’. “The assessor had not taken readings for 6-7 months. That is why the bill value was high,” said a senior official.

However, the residents had paid substantially lower amount in their previous bill cycle in January.