Thiruvananthapuram: Those who wish to pay the electricity bill for the lockdown period in instalment should get in touch with the assistant engineer of their respective section offices and get the permission in writing to make use of the facility.
Those who want to pay the instalments online should get in touch with the customer care number 1912, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) said.
The KSEB has allowed domestic users to make the payment of the lockdown period bill, which many have complained is higher than normal, in up to five instalments.
The subsidy announced by the government will be recorded in the bills from next month. It will be a fixed percentage of the excess amount in the bill for the April 20 to June 19 period.
The state government had announced the subsidy on June 18 in the wake of a flood of complaints from users saying the bill amount was too high.
The KSEB had said that increased electricity consumption during lockdown as people stayed home was the main reason for the huge increase in bills.
The government said the subsidy will be provided on the basis of the difference in the amounts of the lockdown period bill and the previous bill.
The subsidy ranges from 20%-50% based on consumption. Those who consumed up to 50 units will get a subsidy of 50% on the difference amount, while customers who used over 150 units will get a subsidy of 20% on the excess amount.
Customers don’t have to apply for the subsidy. The benefit will be extended to both those who have paid the bill and those who have not, the KSEB said.
Domestic consumers can make use of the interest subsidy till December 31.
Those paying the bill online will get 5% as incentive subject to a maximum amount of Rs 100.
Those in COVID containment zones or hotspots can make use of the online facility to make the payment either in full or in instalment. The bill amount can be adjusted with the subsidy announced.
Bill to have new information
Electricity meter readers have started distributing bills with additional information that will make it easier for customers to understand the terms and conditions.
The bills with the new information are being issued since Thursday.
This follows complaints from many quarters that the bills issued by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) contain technical terms that people find difficult to understand.
The meter readers will be able to answer all customer queries based on the new details being provided in the bills.
The bills will be issued in both Malayalam and English in future, the KSEB said.
Additional information in the bills
- User’s previous bill payment date
- Last bill amount paid by the user
- The previous meter reading date in ‘door lock’ cases
- The interest earned by customer through security deposit; the date on which the amount was credited to the customer’s account
- The cashback offered by KSEB for users who made their first online payment and the date on which the amount was credited to the user’s account.
