Electricity consumers in Mugalivakkam, Chennai, have alleged that errors in meter readings are pushing their bills into higher tariff slabs and forcing them to pay more than their actual consumption warrants. Residents of VGN Lakshmi Nagar’s Kumarasamy Street have urged the Tamil Nadu electricity board to correct the readings and issue revised bills based on actual usage.
According to a report by DT Next, residents alleged that bills were being calculated as though electricity meters had crossed specified consumption thresholds before the corresponding units had actually been consumed. They said this practice could move consumers into a higher tariff slab and increase the amount payable.
Residents cited the example of a consumer who used 480 units but was allegedly billed for consumption exceeding 500 units because of an incorrect meter reading. The difference is significant because crossing a threshold can change the applicable electricity charges, according to the residents’ account.
The complaint highlights the importance of accurate and timely meter readings in a slab-based billing system. When a reading is recorded incorrectly, consumers may face not only a higher bill but also the burden of identifying the error, approaching the electricity utility and seeking a correction within the payment period.
Residents also alleged that meter readings were not taken on the scheduled dates. They said this reduced the time available to pay the bill and created additional difficulty for consumers who needed to verify the charges before making payment.
For the apartment complex, residents claimed that details of the electricity charges were uploaded only on the 10th of the month, leaving them six days to pay instead of the usual 15-day period. The shortened payment window, they said, was linked to delays in the availability of the billing details.
The report also referred to a Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited measure under which the threshold for high-variation bill checks was raised to Rs 3,000. The supplied report did not provide further details on how the revised threshold applies to the complaints raised in Mugalivakkam.
The residents have asked the electricity board to verify the meter readings, correct bills that do not reflect actual consumption and provide consumers adequate time to make payments. The next step is for the electricity utility to examine the complaints and respond to the billing and reading discrepancies identified by residents.
