The 2nd Local Electricity Forum meeting was organised on 17th September 2024 at Salem. The meeting was inaugurated by Ms.Jennis, Managing Trustee, Jennis Educational Trust. She appreciated the Consumer Rights Movement and CAG, Chennai, for organising such a meeting. The participants were domestic, and commercial consumers, representatives from handloom and ornaments labour associations.
Mr.J.M.Bhoopathi, addressing the participants
Mr. J.M. Boopathi, Founder, Consumers Rights Movement, provided a detailed explanation of the project's objectives. He emphasised the need for electricity consumers to establish local forums to voice their concerns and actively engage in electricity-related processes. These local forum meetings aim to educate and inform consumers about their rights and responsibilities within the electricity sector.
G.N.Bharath Ram, during his presentation
Mr. Bharath Ram, a researcher at CAG, provided a comprehensive overview of the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020. He emphasised the increasing significance of the consumer's role and how the rules facilitate citizen engagement and support. Additionally, he delved into consumer rights within the electricity sector, mentioning key regulations such as Standards of Performance and Consumer Grievance Redressal Forums.
Anand Raja, addressing the participants
Mr. Anand Raja from the Silver Labour Federation Association elaborated on the challenges encountered by silverware makers. He highlighted issues with the calculation of electricity bills. Silver-related businesses operate within homes and do not require high-intensity equipment. However, assessors often mistakenly reclassify the service connection from domestic to commercial tariff, resulting in exorbitant electricity bills. After numerous follow-ups with TANGEDCO, the consumer category has been changed. However, this issue reappears on a monthly basis and continues to be a recurring concern. Following the meeting, Mr. Jayaraman, a retired TANGEDCO official, addressed various consumer issues specific to the Salem district, focusing on electricity regulations.
The participants expressed their sense of empowerment following the valuable information they had obtained. As a direct outcome of the meeting, consumers experienced a significant improvement in their comprehension of the regulations governing electricity usage.
Participants raised concerns about irregularities in the assessment process, including the billing assessment not being conducted on a certain date. Furthermore, the ongoing issue of uninformed power cuts in rural areas was discussed. The meeting concluded with a consumer sharing their experience of how the consumer rights movement helped resolve a billing problem by registering a complaint with the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum, Salem.