Chennai, July 30:
The Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL) has ordered a State-wide re-inspection of 3.7 lakh domestic electricity connections following a surge in complaints over unusually high electricity bills during the July billing cycle.
The move comes after TNPDCL identified a sharp increase in power consumption among a section of consumers compared to the previous billing cycle in May.
In a circular issued on Wednesday, TNPDCL Chairman and Managing Director V Arun Roy directed officials across all regions to undertake physical verification of domestic service connections that recorded significant consumption variations.
Officials from Chief Engineers to Assistant Engineers will be involved in the exercise. Assistant Executive Engineers and Accounts Officers attached to the Revenue Intelligence Squad have been assigned up to 150 service connections each for inspection. The verification process is to be completed by August 7.
Authorities have also been instructed to immediately rectify any discrepancies or billing errors detected during the inspections.
An internal analysis by TNPDCL identified around 3.7 lakh consumers with unusually high power usage. Among them, about 15,000 consumers recorded consumption exceeding 1,000 units, while nearly one lakh consumers used between 500 and 1,000 units. The remaining connections showed usage between 101 and 500 units.
Officials clarified that the exercise is aimed at addressing consumer grievances and ensuring billing accuracy, and is not an enforcement drive.
TNPDCL officials attributed the spike in electricity consumption largely to prolonged hot and humid weather conditions across Tamil Nadu. Increased use of air-conditioners, air coolers and other electrical appliances is believed to have driven up consumption levels in many households.
The re-inspection is expected to provide clarity to consumers while helping the utility identify and correct any anomalies in billing.