Consumers upset over TANGEDCO not reducing development charge as per TNERC direction
A consumer at Coimbatore complained that TANGEDCO has not yet reduced the development charges as directed by the commission.
Representative Image
CHENNAI: Despite the TNERC's direction to TANGEDCO not to collect excess development charges for the new service connection, the consumers who applied for the new service connection complained that the utility had not yet revised the development charges downwards.
For over a month, consumers residing in the municipal corporation limits across the state were asked to pay development charges applicable for the underground cable infrastructure even in a place with overhead cables alone. Following the consumer complaints, TNERC directed TANGEDCO to immediately stop the collection of higher charges and refund the same to the consumer's account to be adjusted with their subsequent bills.
A consumer at Coimbatore complained that TANGEDCO has not yet reduced the development charges as directed by the commission.
"The acknowledgement cum demand notice issued by the utility on the application for new domestic service connection will expire in a couple of days. When I enquired with the local officials, they were not sure when the development charge revision would come into effect, " the consumer said.
The development charges payable for a three-phase domestic connection is Rs 5110 per kilowatt which is 2.5 times more than OH connection charges of Rs 2040 per kW.
For a single-phase connection, the development charges payable are Rs 2,860 per connection for OH and Rs 7155 per connection for UG cables.
For a new connection, the consumer has to pay registration cum process charges, caution deposit, service connection charges and meter caution deposit along with the development charge.
A senior TANGEDCO official said that as per the TNERC direction, the changes to the application software would be implemented in a day or two.
"With the underground cables laid in Chennai and other corporations, the software was designed to apply the development charges applicable to the UG if the division has more UG connections than the OH line. Now the commission has allowed the collection of the development charges proportionately if the distribution main is mixed. We are making changes in the software in this regard, " the official added.
TNERC had clarified that if the extension of distribution main involves OH, only the development charges of OH are to be collected.
"If the extension of distribution main involves UG, then development charges of UG are to be collected. If it is mixed, development charges to be collected proportionately, " it noted.
