Delayed Chennai power meter readings continue to affect households across the city and suburbs despite instructions from Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (TNPDCL) to field officers to complete assessments promptly, leaving consumers concerned that late readings could push them into higher electricity tariff slabs.
Roy Rosario of Pattabiram said the assessor for his neighbourhood failed to arrive for five days after the scheduled assessment period. The reading was due on October 5, he said. Rosario expressed concern that the delay could cause consumption to be recorded at a higher level and make consumers lose the benefit of 200 free units if their consumption crosses 500 units during a bi-monthly billing period.
Residents in other parts of Chennai have reported longer gaps. P Bharathi of Porur said electricity consumption at his premises was not assessed for two successive cycles. The last assessment was completed in June, he said, while no bill was received in August and the next assessment was due in October.
The delays have also been reported in Mehta Nagar. Niranjan Kumar said his neighbourhood faced similar problems until last month. Following a complaint, a woman staff member was temporarily assigned to cover the area, but residents remained uncertain about how long the arrangement would continue.
The issue comes after TNPDCL reassessed electricity bills that were unusually high last month and identified incorrect assessments in about 2,000 services across Tamil Nadu. The utility had attributed the discrepancies partly to the scale of the monthly exercise, under which about 1.3 crore household meters have to be assessed.
TNPDCL subsequently decided to outsource meter reading to private contractors, citing a shortage of assessors. However, officials said tenders were yet to be floated in many areas, meaning the proposed arrangement has not taken effect across the affected locations.
A senior TNPDCL official said field officers had been instructed to carry out readings promptly while the corporation worked towards engaging contractors. The official said it could take at least a month before contractors were appointed in the relevant areas.
For consumers, the immediate concern is the effect of delayed assessments on billing cycles and tariff calculations. Where readings are missed, residents may not receive a bill for a cycle and later face a combined assessment, as reported by Bharathi. TNPDCL’s instructions are intended to maintain regular assessments until the outsourcing process is completed.
The corporation’s next step is to float and process tenders in areas where outsourcing is pending, while field officers continue meter readings in the interim. Officials have said contractor engagement could take at least a month.
