DMK president M.K. Stalin on Friday urged the AIADMK government to resolve the confusion around calculations involved in electricity bills, and see to it that consumers are not affected.
In a statement, he pointed out that many consumers were shocked over exorbitant power bills accumulated over four months and alleged that the State government was ignoring their concerns.
Mr. Stalin pointed out the bills are collected based on tariff slabs and the [free] units are not deducted, because of which various consumers are affected. He said that the explanation given on this issue by the Electricity Department is not satisfactory. “Despite knowing that the bills are collected for four months’ consumption without dividing it into two months each, is the reason for the issue, the Tangedco has given an astonishing reply and the AIADMK government is backing it, which is not acceptable,” Mr. Stalin said.
He added that the government is putting a huge burden on the people who are facing issues like job and income losses due to the COVID-19 lockdown, and this was condemnable.
Mr. Stalin also urged the State government to ensure that power bills are collected after deducting the consumption units. He said MSMEs have been impacted due to the lockdown, and the government should not collect the previous month’s bill from them. Instead, the government should either waive the previous month’s bill or the charges as per latest reading, Mr. Stalin said. He also sought for subsidies on power bills for the next six months for MSMEs until things get back to normal.