radeep Sharma
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 23
The group-housing societies, residential colonies of employers and commercial-cum-residential complexes of developers will be supplied power on single-point (bulk supply) system by the electricity department from April 1.

While the electricity bills for February/March would be issued as per the existing practice, the bills from April onwards would be issued as per the single-point metering system, according to an order issued by the Chief General Manager (Commercial), Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN).

The new system would be implemented in housing colonies having 20 or more houses.

The order said on the basis of the reading of April 1, the bills of the single-point supply would be generated by April 7 and distributed by April 10.

The residents have to deposit the bills by April 17 to the nodal officer concerned, who would deposit them with the SDO concerned by April 25.

Under the new system, the housing complexes would install a single electricity meter for power distribution and individual consumers would have sub-meters.

The society management would be responsible for individual metering, billing, and collection of charges from individual users and payment of energy bills for single-point power supply to the discoms, sources said.

A majority of housing societies and residential complexes have an exclusive power distribution network in the form of transformers, high-tension and low-tension cables and service cables on their premises.

As of now, only a few societies and residential complexes have single-point power supply under bulk supply category.

The decision was taken as officials of power distribution companies currently did not have free access to these gated complexes manned by security personnel.

Due to restricted access, officials could not take effective steps to reduce commercial losses, which ultimately resulted in high tariff and affected the interests of honest consumers. Besides, consumers made frequent complaints of harassment by the power distribution company employees in connection with meter reading, billing and payment of bills, sources added.

Fresh power regime

* Housing societies to shift to single-point metering system from April 1

* Housing complexes to install single electricity meter for power distribution

* Society management responsible for collection and payment of power bills

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