Tangedco lifts curbs on consumers from paying without linking Aadhaar

CHENNAI: A day after public outcry against the blocking payment of electricity bill by domestic consumers who did not link their Aadhaar, Tangedco on Friday accepted the energy consumption charges from the consumers at the counters without Aadhaar linking.

Tangedco sources said that from Friday morning, the energy charges were collected from the consumers without the Aadhaar seeding at the counters. For linking Aadhaar with service connections, special counters would be opened in all the section offices.

On Thursday, the domestic consumers who didn't link their Aadhaar with their domestic service connections were not allowed to make payment at the Tangedco’s counters leading to arguments and tensions. The utility had extended the last date for the bill payment by two days for those pay-by date falls between November 24 and 30 to allow them to link their Aadhaar before payment.

Tangedco had earlier directed the consumers trying to pay their bill online to link their Aadhaar.

In the government order dated October 6, the Energy department has mandated that consumers desirous of availing benefits of subsidy provided by the State government should provide their Aadhaar. The government provides subsidy for the domestic consumers, agricultural, huts, public places of worship, powerloom and handloom consumers.