BEST Undertaking approves EMI facility on electricity bill payments

BEST Undertaking on Saturday said it has allowed three months EMI facility for its consumers to pay their electricity bills.

However, the facility would be available only to those accounts where the bill amount is more than double the average of three months - from March to May, the authority said in a statement.

Brihan Mumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking, which supplies power in the city and has a consumer base of around 10 lakh, has also approved a moratorium of three months to its commercial and industrial customers on the fixed charges.

"Wherever the bill is more than double that of the average for the period between March and May, consumers will be given option to make payments in three installments with carrying cost," it said.

BEST, along with other utilities in Maharashtra - including state owned MSEDCL, Adani Electricity Mumbai and Tata Power, came under criticism for inflated bills in June.

The authority, which has over 7.6 lakh residential customers and more than 2.7 lakh commercial and 8,836 industrial consumers, clarified that the bills generated during the lockdown period were based on consumption in March.

"In the months of April, May and June, the consumption generally increases. Also, during lockdown, people were at home which may have increased residential consumption in many cases," it said.

The authority also noted that consumers who have been overbilled, after taking actual reading, if recovery based in estimated bills is more than the actual bill, then the excess amount will be credited to the consumers' accounts.

However, for consumers who are under billed, they will get bill as per actual consumption based on actual readings, it said.

"Industrial and commercial consumers have been billed only 10 per cent of their estimated consumption from May 19 onwards. These consumers are also allowed three months moratorium on fixed charges," it said.