Ranchi: Nearly 1.15 lakh electricity consumers in the state capital face imminent power disconnection as the Ranchi supply circle of Jharkhand Bijli Vitaran Nigam Ltd (JBVNL) cracked down on unpaid dues and negative smart meter balances across the city.The power utility has issued a stern warning to defaulters, sending notices via WhatsApp and SMS to registered phone numbers over the last week.Ranchi supply area general manager Manmohan Kumar said that the department will be forced to disconnect power supply if consumers fail to clear their outstanding bills. He said, “The action will cover prepaid smart meter users whose balances fall below Rs 1,500, as well as postpaid and non-smart meter consumers with outstanding dues exceeding Rs 5,000.”Urging citizens to regularly monitor and maintain their smart meter balances and clear pending amounts promptly, Kumar added that electricity supply will only be restored after the complete settlement of arrears.The push comes amid a massive smart meter rollout in the city. Out of 4,30,000 total electricity connections in Ranchi, JBVNL has installed smart meters in 4,10,000 residential and commercial premises. Work is currently underway to replace the remaining 20,000 legacy meters. The aggressive smart metering drive propelled the city’s billing efficiency to a record high of 97.57% in July.Addressing complaints regarding missing billing alerts, Kumar clarified that consumers who do not receive updates via SMS or WhatsApp can send their name, consumer account number, and a clear photo of their meter to executive engineer of their respective area to update their records in the JBVNL system.Similarly, consumers using non-smart meters can also verify their bill status by forwarding their name, consumer number, and meter photograph to local officials, following which necessary billing arrangements will be initiated.
The power utility has issued a stern warning to defaulters, sending notices via WhatsApp and SMS to registered phone numbers over the last week.
