The Hindu : Consumers remain harassed under `friendly' discom regime

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 23, 2003

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Consumers remain harassed under `friendly' discom regime

By Lalit K. Jha

NEW DELHI JUNE 22. Despite the tall claims being made by the BSES Rajdhani Power Limited that it was a consumer-friendly discom, the situation at the ground level reveals a different story altogether.

People staying in South and South-West Delhi -- where the BSES Rajdhani is responsible for distribution of electricity -- are fast becoming disillusioned and at times feel that the erstwhile Delhi Vidyut Board (DVB) were better than the arrogance and apathy shown by discom officials.

The experience of Sakuntala Bhatia -- who is in her early 80s -- seems to be a classic case of how things have moved in Delhi's power sector in particular its distribution sector after it was privatised in July last by the Delhi Government with a promise that people would not only get a better supply of power but also a better treatment from discoms. Soon after taking over, the then BSES Chief Executive Officer, J.P. Chalasani, who is now the BSES Director -- recently renamed Reliance Energy -- that consumer would be the king under the new regime. About a year later, however, people feel that things have not improved.

Ms. Bhatia, wife of noted journalist late Prem Bhatia, has been frequenting the discom offices for the past one month to get the inflated bill rectified and bring it down to what she says was the realistic level. Having a weak eye-sight, and not keeping well due to her age, she was kept waiting by discom officials for hours and shifted from one room to the other at BSES Nizamuddin office where she had gone recently.

"I was not alone. There were at least a few hundred people standing outside this room and that too for the same problem. But none of us were allowed to enter. After my patience gave in, I forcibly entered the officials' room despite resistance from the guard standing outside. The response, inside, was inhumane. I was kept waiting for nearly half-an-hour. It is only when I raised my pitch that the official looked at me, took my papers and asked me to go to another room. It was not yet 12-45 p.m. but I was asked to come after lunch,'' Ms. Bhatia said, adding that almost the same story was repeated with her several times. Ms. Bhatia, who has been staying alone at her Defence Colony

residence along with a driver and a servant complained that after the discom took over, her bills have increased substantially, which at times was unbelievable. Displaying her earlier original bills, she said it used to hover between Rs. 550 and Rs. 1,100. "The highest bill I ever paid was Rs. 3,500. After privatisation, I have been receiving bills to the tune Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 13,000. I have always paid my bills before time but it has now come with an arrear of about Rs. 10,000. When I went to get this rectified, after several days of sweating it out, and experiencing inhumane and indecent behaviour they reduced my electricity bill from Rs. 13,345 to Rs. 11,000. It is unbelievable. I can never consume so much energy,'' she claimed.

According to her, almost all residents of Defence Colony are having some complaint or the other against the BSES. People are getting such inflated bills at a time when the duration of power cuts have increased substantially. The Colony is experiencing power cuts of about six hours on an average per day. "When I asked the discoms officials they said the situation here was much better than other parts of the Capital. I wonders about the plight of the people in other parts,'' she said.

Sharing her experience with discom officials, Ms. Bhatia said during her frequent trips to the BSES offices, she was asked by them to meet one particular official, who could get her things done after paying bribe. "Woh kuchh le de kar aapka bill thik kar dega,'' she was told and then given his telephone number.

``Further, I was told by the local discom officials that the inflated bills were mainly due to the recently installed electric metres which were faulty and are giving a much higher reading. At the same time they said that the BSES officials said, these could only be considered for replacement if I deposited a fee of Rs.200 for checking faulty metres. Is this the professionalism, promised by the Delhi Government and the BSES at the time of privatisation last year? she asked. In fact, similar question is being asked by lakhs of other consumers of South and South-West Delhi.

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