Electricity bill has not been sent to the consumers. That’s perplexing. Should not meter readers be assigned the task for which they have been appointed? Consumers, who pay electricity bill regularly want meter reading be done regularly. It is true dismal power supply has egged on meter readers to neglect their duty. But if the bills are not sent regularly there is apprehension in the minds of the consumers that a time will when they will not be able to clear the bills. Consumers, who make proper economic planning at home have found the new turn of incident as a blow to their well being. These days meter readers have stopped going to the house of consumers. Consumers have also ridiculed the employees for doing meter reading without giving regular power supply. Consumers, who have received pre paid connection, receiving 24 hours electricity are enviable. When will this facility cover the entire Imphal area? Until that happens those, who cannot enter prestigious group will have to remain contended with four or six hours power supply. No matter whether the consumers are given a few hours power supply or not meter reading must not stop for at the end the losers will be those, who use electricity. Consumers cannot be expected to remember electricity bill without seeing the billing paper. Where had gone all those meter readers. Like the Government teachers getting pay, perks and perquisites without taking class they too have wanted pay without doing anything. This is not a good trend. Pull up the recalcitrant engineers, who are in charge of electricity complaint room. Staffs in charge of transformer, lines men and meter readers will be on their toe when the supervising engineers work sincerely. In many Leikais too many consumers whose bill amount for power consumption having reached five figures lament if only the meter readers came regularly they would have cleared the bill in time and subsequent power line snapping would not have happened at all. Neither they can clear the bill now nor does the authority make serious attempt to provide connection to such defaulters. But many of these defaulters have resorted to power thieving. These consumers would extend lines in the night and roll it in the morning. There are some foolish consumers who argue that the consumer registration was done in the name of his late father or mother’s name so it is not binding to clear the bill owed by late parents. But in reality he continues to enjoy the facility long after the parents had died. This will be known when meter reading is done regularly. The same rule of sending bills to the power consumers should be adhered to by the PHED also. In every Leikai there are more than one hundred house hold members. Every house has a small pipe entering up to kitchen but the number of legal consumers does not reach even two figures. These illegal consumers without paying anything to the Government have ridiculed the Government for failure to provide drinking water. Do illegal consumers have the right to speak about non availability of drinking water? The matter should receive the attention of the highest authority and take steps to understand what is ailing our society?
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/dismal-power-supply-and-its-fall-out/