Lucknow, In a relief to power consumers, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided that all prepaid smart metres will now function as postpaid, enabling monthly billing with a 15-day payment window, officials said on Monday.
The decision came following directions from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to simplify billing and ensure faster resolution of consumer grievances, Energy Minister A K Sharma said after a review meeting.
“The billing cycle will remain similar to the earlier postpaid system. Consumers will receive their monthly bills via SMS and WhatsApp and will be given adequate time to make payments,” Sharma said, adding that the move will benefit lakhs of consumers statewide.
Under the revised system, electricity bills will be generated for consumption from the first to the last day of each month and will be delivered to consumers by the 10th. A payment window of 15 days from the date of billing will be provided, with the due date clearly mentioned as earlier.
Consumers who do not receive bills on time can access them through WhatsApp chatbots by sharing their connection number or by registering complaints on the 1912 portal. Consumers who have changed their mobile numbers can update them to continue receiving bill alerts, officials said.
In another major relief, consumers will be allowed to clear outstanding dues till April 30 in up to 10 instalments. To further assist consumers, special camps will be organised at division and sub-division levels in May and June for resolution of smart metre-related billing complaints.
The minister said in cases where security deposits had been refunded after shifting from postpaid to prepaid metres, the amount will now be recovered in four instalments instead of lump sum, providing additional convenience.
The government also issued strict instructions to ensure uninterrupted power supply as per schedule. Officials have been directed to ensure that transformers do not remain faulty and are replaced immediately in case of breakdowns to avoid inconvenience to consumers.
Dedicated contact numbers have also been provided for different regions to address billing-related issues, including Purvanchal, Madhyanchal, Paschimanchal, Dakshinanchal and Kanpur zones.
Senior officials including Additional Chief Secretary and Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Chairman Ashish Kumar Goel, Managing Director Nitish Kumar, and other senior officers were present at the meeting held at Shakti Bhawan, the statement added.
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