Patna: More than Rs 50 crore has been deducted in a lump sum from the accounts of around 5.06 lakh domestic smart prepaid meter consumers in Patna, following the settlement of outstanding charges accumulated between June and August.
Consumers reported deductions ranging from about Rs 600 to Rs 1,500. However, the mobile notifications they received only mentioned “Invoice Settlement” and did not provide an item-wise breakdown of the amount deducted.
Fixed Charges Deducted After Three-Month Delay
The regular deduction of fixed charges was disrupted between June and August because the electricity company was migrating its billing operations to a new system.
According to officials at the company’s headquarters, the outstanding amounts for the three months have now been recovered through the new system. The company has also expressed regret over the delay in sending notification messages.
The deductions have caused confusion among consumers, particularly because the messages did not separately identify fixed charges, electricity duty or penalties linked to consumption beyond the sanctioned load.
New Revenue Management System Introduced
The company previously used the SAP billing system, under which billing dates varied between different divisions and the system had limited capacity, officials said.
The company has since introduced the Revenue Management System (RMS), which allows billing to be managed uniformly across the Patna Electric Supply Undertaking (PESU) area.
The transition between the two systems affected the regular recovery of fixed charges. The accumulated dues for June, July and August were subsequently processed together as an “invoice settlement”.
About 5.06 Lakh Domestic Consumers Affected
PESU has around 7.61 lakh consumers, of whom about 6.33 lakh have smart prepaid meters. Around 95,000 of the smart meter consumers are in the commercial category.
Of the domestic consumers, approximately 5.06 lakh had deductions made from their accounts. The average deduction was around Rs 1,000, although the actual amount varied depending on the consumer’s account and applicable charges.
The amount could include outstanding fixed charges and penalties for electricity consumption beyond the sanctioned load.
Around 31,000 domestic consumers consume up to 125 units and generally receive bills with zero payable amounts under the applicable concession.
Consumers Seek Item-Wise Details
Consumers have questioned why the notification did not provide a detailed calculation of the amount deducted.
Some domestic consumers reported deductions of around Rs 600, while deductions of about Rs 1,100 were reported for some commercial connections.
Consumers said they were informed only that the deduction was being made as an “invoice settlement”. They were not given a separate breakdown showing how much was recovered as fixed charges, penalties or electricity duty.
The issue has also affected consumers seeking clarification through the 1912 helpline, with some reportedly being directed to electricity offices for further information.
What Does Invoice Settlement Mean?
An electricity bill can include energy charges, electricity duty, fixed charges and penalties for consumption beyond the sanctioned load.
For domestic connections, the fixed charge is Rs 80 per kilowatt. Consumers using up to 125 units are eligible for a concession under the applicable tariff provisions.
Once consumption reaches 126 units, fixed charges are applied along with energy charges and electricity duty.
The fixed charges that were not recovered regularly during the billing system transition have now been collected together under the “invoice settlement” category.
