New Delhi, May 7 (IANS): The Chhattisgarh government has decided that non-domestic (commercial), agro-based industries and other industrial consumers of the state will not pay surcharge on the electricity till May 31 due to pandemic.

The decision was taken after demands by various industrial organisations and establishments including non-domestic consumers for relaxation from government, during the lockdown, a statement said.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has said collection of demand charges on bills of April, May and June 2020 for non-domestic (commercial), agro-based industries along with other industrial electricity connections in the state have been postponed.

After this moratorium period, the aforementioned charges will be collected in equal monthly installments with electricity bills of upcoming six months. In this duration, delayed payment surcharge applicable on bills of April, May and June 2020 will be only 1 percent instead of 1.5 percent, said the statement.

For prevention of coronavirus infection, all the cash electricity bill payment centres in the state have been closed. In the same sequence, all the LT consumers have been provided with the facility to pay the electricity bills (which were to be paid between March 23 and May 3, 2020) till May 31, without any surcharge.

The starement said that the Chhattisgarh State Electricity Regulatory Commission has also agreed with this decision. These decisions of state government have brought big relief to the industrial and business sectors of the state, which were struggling due to this pandemic situation.