A large section of domestic consumers of the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) would be billed as per the previous month cycle (PMC) due to the announcement of lockdown from June 19 to 30.
Tangedco has asked the section officials to adopt PMC for low tension and low tension commercial consumers for the second half of June.
Already the domestic consumers were directed to pay as per PMC for April and May. Tangedco had also provided a model working sheet for arriving at the average bi-monthly consumption for April and June billing periods and deducting the PMC payment made in April once the assessors began meter reading from June 1.
A senior official of Tangedco confirming the adoption of PMC for the full lockdown period from June 19 to 30 said PMC was used for the billing month of April and May due to the lockdown. Though door-to-door assessment of electricity meters began from June 1, the announcement of full lockdown from June 19 has made the electricity board again go for PMC billing. The domestic consumers falling under June billing cycle would have to pay as per PMC for the second time after having paid it in April.
The official said a model working sheet for calculating the billing amount had been issued and this would be used for calculating the electricity charges when meter reading begins in August. As per the model calculator, the assessors would take the meter reading in August and would calculate the average units consumed for three bi-monthly periods (six months from March to August). Based on the total assessed amounts, the two PMC payments made for April and June would be subtracted and the net payable amount would be arrived at.
Earlier, Tangedco had directed section officials to use PMC for those consumers residing in containment zones alone. Now the method would again be adopted for the residents of the city and Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu.
Meanwhile, some domestic consumers are complaining about the delay in uploading of meter readings undertaken by the assessors during the first half of June. There are complaints from residents from different parts of the city about the assessors not updating the EB card where physical assessment of electricity meters was carried out.