On Wednesday, 1st July 2020, Adani Electricity Mumbai Ltd (AEML) introduced an EMI facility for customers after Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) ordered electricity distribution firms to deal with concerns about inflated bills.
The statement issued by Adani Group mentioned that the lockdown has now been extended till 31st July 2020, which has resulted in continued extended hours at home. Work from home along with prevailing weather conditions has resulted in an increase in electricity consumption.
According to AEML, if the current meter reading is more than the meter reading mentioned on the bill, it is correct.
The Adani group has also come out with several other interactive measures where one can find power consumption and easy way of payment.
Over 25 dedicated help desks have been set up at 8 customer care centers across the city as well. Consumers can avail video call facility to speak to the customer service team on their queries.
"An EMI facility is available at the AEML website for payment through credit cards, eligible consumers preferring alternate payment modes can also avail 3 months EMI as per MERC supply code regulations," AEML said in a press release.
An AEML spokesperson said, "AEML has undertaken various measures such as virtual help desk, EMI facility as well as proactive awareness initiatives to increase clarity on the billing process amongst the consumers. The consumers will be receiving bills based on their actual consumption with applicable tariff slab benefits. All necessary actions have been undertaken in accordance with the rules and regulations laid down by the state government and MERC."
MERC also directed electricity distributors to set up a dedicated subdivision/division level help desk/grievance officer by each utility to ensure that grievances are answered within one day of receipt.
It also added that consumers should be provided with an online software utility to auto-check their bills in terms of the correctness of units consumed per meter reading, applicable tariff rate, tariff slab benefits, and comparison with last year's corresponding period.
AEML has released an infographic video explaining its billing procedure.
It has also been shared with over consumers via SMS/email/WhatsApp for their understanding and knowledge.
Consumers can visit the website to self-check their bills in terms of accuracy of units consumed, tariff rate, tariff slab benefits available. A comparison with the corresponding period of last year is also available on the bill.
Importantly, the commission explained that no one's electricity link should be terminated for non-payment before the consumer's bill-related grievance is rectified, including the exercise of an option to make payment in EMIs.
In June, a large number of people living across Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane had inflated bills for electricity ranging from Rs 4,000 to Rs 20,000. These were four to eight times the usual summer bill forecast.
Consumers raised concerns about high MSEDCL supply electricity bills in parts of Mumbai, Thane, and Navi Mumbai, as well as Adani Electricity and Tata Gas.
Due to the coronavirus lockdown, every working-class individual will have no option but to work from home which causes a rise in consumption for devices such as Wi-Fi, other members as a result of staying home contributing to higher consumption of Electricity through various devices and appliances.
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