Bounced cheque? Pay penalty in next electricity bill

PUNE With the Pune circle of the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) witnessing the highest number of cheque-bounce cases in the state, the MSEDCL has decided to charge a penalty of Rs885, including Goods Service Tax (GST), to be included in electricity bills of the subsequent month.

According to the MSEDCL, out of the nearly 10,500 cheque-bounce cases reported each month, the Pune circle registers the highest (1,750); followed by the Kalyan (1,700); Bhandup (1,500); Nagpur (1,100); and Baramati circles (900). Despite an “online” payment facility being made available, approximately 4500 million consumers pay electricity bills through cheques, as per MSEDCL statistics.