Amid lockdown, Delhiites complain of high power bills, BSES suggests self meter reading

With field workers not going house to house to take meter readings during the lockdown, residents have been getting steep power bills — in some cases up to Rs 15,000 — for one month of usage. These bills, officials said, are being prepared without subsidies calculated into the total amount, leading to some confusion among customers.

The BSES, which runs two sub-discoms — the BYPL and the BRPL — has been issuing provisional electricity bills ever since the lockdown was imposed and the field workers of the company were unable to go on-spot for meter readings. The discom has allowed customers to check the meters themselves, and apply for a revised bill as per protocol.

However, in many cases, bills have been inflated despite providing meter readings and residents are now having to approach discoms offices to rectify the errors.