Editor,
Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I would like to draw attention to a growing concern faced by many electricity consumers in the state – the consistent delay in issuing electricity bills by the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MEECL), and the lack of accountability within the department.
Month after month, bills are not generated or delivered on time. Instead of being issued at the beginning of each month, they often arrive at their own time and will or just a few days before the due date which is a harassment of its consumers. When people try to visit the Substation and enquire, we are given vague responses, often blaming technical issues or saying that officials are on “field duty.”. This usual excuse given that all staff are out on site visits is hilarious. Does this also apply to those working in billing or revenue sections? Why should staff whose job is to generate and manage bills also be “on site”? Or is this simply a way to avoid responsibility and direct contact with the public? There are also times when one visits “too late” in their opinion that there is no more staff and if one looks at their watch, it shows 2:00 or 3:00 pm. It makes one wonder if there is a proper system that checks staff attendance and scrutinises their work for the day.
MEECL has also introduced a mobile app, which in theory should solve some of these issues. However, the app itself is useless as it doesn’t update bills on a monthly basis, rendering it practically useless for consumers who depend on it for timely payments.
This untimely distribution of electricity bills is a big problem as many people here are contractual workers, daily wage earners, or receive very low monthly incomes. Budgeting becomes crucial in such households. When bills are delayed, it disrupts financial planning and forces people to make sudden adjustments, often pushing them into hardship. How can families plan their monthly expenses when they don’t know when their electricity bill will arrive or how much it will be?
On top of this, consumers are penalised with late fees if they miss the payment deadline – even when it’s MEECL that failed to provide the bill on time. This is completely unjust. If late payment attracts a penalty, shouldn’t late billing by MEECL result in a deduction or some form of compensation to the consumer?
We have constantly seen how MeECL is in debt and yet it doesn’t provide timely billing to those who want to pay. MEECL must take immediate steps to improve its operations, especially in billing, customer service, and accountability, especially in all its substations.
R Lyndem
Nongkrem, Warbah
