We have all heard of employees getting pay benefits with retrospective effects but we have never heard of issuing bills with retrospective effect. Many new things started in our state; many good and many bad. We wonder in which category the decision to demand power bill with retrospective effect can be fitted. Residents of the state received hiked electricity bills and later the bills were changed with new ones. It was calculated again by including bills of previous months. Many were shocked and many were wonderstruck. For the state power department it is good as more revenues will be received but it has many questions to answer. Hike in prices have to be announced and it can not be announced with retrospective effect. Can we include a huge amount to a customer in a restaurant by saying that the prices were hiked earlier and not included when they visited the restaurant earlier ? The power department seems to be suffering from serious flaws. Some places continue to get uninterrupted power supply while others continue to get uninterrupted black out. The Power Minister, Phungzathang Tonsing is a senior minister in the Ibobi Singh Cabinet. We wonder if he is aware of the recent decision. The Power Chief Engineer may also have knowledge about the matter . We wonder if he is trying to rectify the wrongs done. At least people should be informed ahead about price hike, changes in load shedding programme. Nothing is done. Taking the people for granted is not acceptable in this age and good citizens who hardly complain about the inefficiencies of the department should not be taken for a ride. There is a limit to executive autocracy and misuse of power. Things are done as if a monarch is ruling the state. Is it possible to give fresh bills to all the subscribers getting more power supply than those getting less power supply. There is complete chaos in the distribution of power and collection of revenues. We remember a time when we addressed the issue of inclusion of previous bills in the bills given to subscribers if the bills are paid one day late. If the bills are lost there is nothing one can do rather than paying the previous bills also. The only rectification the department did was to give a curt reply, “the subscribers are advised to pay bill on time”. We are losing all our potentials, working hours as we do not get adequate power supply and we end up using precious oil to generate power. Two hours of power during day time is ridiculous. As repair of faulty lines takes place during office hours most of the time power supply during day time is also disrupted. The matter will pass away with the will of a few stampeding over the need of the three million people. We have seen unannounced power hikes at regular intervals, the time has come to supply power regularly without prior announcement. That will go down as a good step.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/power-hike-with-retrospective-effect/
