From Sept 1, power will be disconnected if bills are not paid

Bengaluru: The Bangalore Electricity Supply Company on Friday said that from September 1, if consumers fail to pay electricity charges within 30 days of receiving bills or do not pay the required additional security deposit, it would disconnect their power supply.

BESCOM said the decision was taken as per the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) recommendation and that it would strictly enforce it from September 1. Domestic and commercial consumers, apartments and consumers with temporary electricity connections must ensure payment of their bills within the stipulated 30 days, it said. “Failure to pay the bill within 30 days will result in disconnection on the day of the meter reading, which typically occurs in the first 15 days of every month. BESCOM urges all consumers to pay their bills on time to avoid any inconvenience,” the state-owned power company said.

At present, after meter reading in the first 15 days of each month, meter readers, along with linemen, revisit the premises of consumers with outstanding bills to disconnect their electricity supply. “Starting September 1, linemen will accompany the meter readers in the first visit itself and immediately disconnect the electricity supply of consumers with overdue bills,” BESCOM said. A period of 15 days is provided for electricity bill payments until the due date without interest, the power company said, adding that an additional 15-day grace period is available for payments with interest after the due date.

“However, if the bill remains unpaid, the electricity supply will be disconnected on the next meter reading day. Connections will be disconnected if the outstanding amount, including the additional security deposit, exceeds Rs 100,” BESCOM said.

BESCOM also said that there may be instances where the payment does not immediately reflect in the BESCOM system when paying electricity bills online. In such cases, consumers should present their payment receipt to the BESCOM staff to avoid disconnection.