Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi

Udupi, Apr 7: Consumers across the jurisdiction of the Mangalore Electricity Supply Company (MESCOM) are expressed anxiety due to a sudden disruption in the monthly meter reading and billing process. Similar issues have also been reported from other electricity supply corporations in the state, including BESCOM and HESCOM.

Typically, MESCOM personnel visit households between the 1st and 15th of every month to record meter readings and issue bills. However, this month, the process was carried out only on the 1st, after which it came to a complete halt. This delay has led consumers to worry about potential billing discrepancies, late payment issues, and the impact of the recent electricity tariff hike by the government.

Server technicalities blamed

According to official sources, the disruption is due to a technical snag in the server related to the Total Revenue Management (TRM) system. As a private agency manages the bill monitoring system, the server issue has temporarily suspended the entire reading process. While officials expect the glitch to be resolved within a day or two, rumors of the system being hacked have added to the confusion among the public.

No need for panic

Assuring the public, MESCOM officials clarified that consumers need not worry about inflated bills. They explained that the number of days delayed in reading will be factored into the billing cycle to ensure fairness. Although the process usually concludes by the 15th of the month, it may take an additional five to six days this time due to the backlog.

Officials further clarified that the recent tariff hike will not reflect in this month's bills, and consumers will only be charged for the actual amount of electricity consumed. Once the technical issue is rectified, meter reading will resume immediately, and bills will be provided to all households without any further inconvenience.