Latest news with #CoimbatoreConsumerCause
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Electricity consumers in Coimbatore wait for new service connection for nearly nine months
Several applications for new electricity connections are said to be kept pending for want of distribution transformers in Coimbatore district. Consumer body, the Coimbatore Consumer Cause, has written to the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) to direct the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation to provide the service connections on time. Secretary of the consumer body K. Kathirmathiyon claimed that applications were pending for more than nine months in Coimbatore district for new service connections. It is learnt that almost 140 distribution transformers were needed in Coimbatore alone to replace the old ones. He said that as per the Tamil Nadu Electricity Distribution Standards of Performance Regulations, 2004 , service connections should be given in 90 days for works involving extension and improvement. If the connections were not provided within the stipulated time, the licensee should pay the consumer a maximum of ₹2,000 for the delay period. However, if an application form was pending for 10 days or 400 days, the compensation amount was only ₹2,000 and that was the reason for the licensee to neglect the delays, he alleged. According to Mr. Kathirmathiyon, there are nearly '1,600 distribution transformers kept idle even now in the stores of the Licensee for years and left to gather dust. These DTs could not be used since they were allotted to the Central Government's Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS),' he said. While there was a stock of transformers on one hand, consumers were waiting for new connections on the other because of non-availability of transformers, he said. 'Despite repeated orders, the licensee failed to provide connections within the time for want of equipment / materials – which are totally unacceptable,' he said.
The Hindu
10-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Mammoth UGD charges upset Coimbatore residents
Residents across Coimbatore city are reporting alarmingly high Under Ground Drainage (UGD) user charges on the civic body's online payment portal, with demands for some properties extending into lakhs of rupees. Coimbatore Corporation had recently passed a resolution stipulating revised monthly UGD user charges, to be assessed based on the size of buildings. As per the revised structure, residential buildings up to 600 are to be charged ₹120 per month; 601 to 1,200 at ₹150; 1,201 to 1,800 at ₹180; 1,801 to 3,500 at ₹210; 3,501 to 5,000 at ₹250; 5,001 to 10,000 at ₹280; and properties above 10,000 at ₹300 per month. However, several residents have discovered significantly inflated figures on the citizen web portal, where property taxes are also managed. P. Srinivasan, a resident of Gandhipark, said, 'The Corporation recently provided me with the UGD connection book, similar to property and water tax documents. Although no payment demand was explicitly made, I checked my account online and was shocked. My building falls within the 1,801 to 3,500 slab, which, as per the newly proposed ₹210 per month, would only amount to approximately ₹22,680 from 2017 to 2025. Yet, the portal shows a demand of ₹3,30,000.' A similar situation was reported by a resident in Nanjundapuram. For an 1,100 sqft building, the expected charge for nine years (at ₹150 per month) should be ₹16,200. However, the total displayed demand was ₹1,36,000. K. Kathirmathiyon, secretary of the Coimbatore Consumer Cause, emphasised the need for clarity. 'The State government must clarify the basis on which these charges are calculated, as there is a complete lack of transparency. Given that there were no regular monthly charges for paid UGD previously, when the civic body begins collection, it should be well-prepared to avoid such errors,' he stated. According to a senior Corporation official, any reported discrepancies will be investigated. They aim to ascertain if these are isolated cases or part of a wider problem, with steps taken to resolve them.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Consumer forum urges Tamil Nadu govt not to shift to monthly electricity billing
1 2 Coimbatore: Coimbatore Consumer Cause, a consumer forum, has appealed the chief minister not to consider the proposed shift to monthly electricity billing, stating the same does not offer any benefit to consumers. In a letter to chief minister M K Stalin, the forum said the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Ltd was planning to implement monthly billing after replacing static meters with smart meters in all domestic connections across the state. "Whether the billing is done monthly or bi-monthly, domestic consumers pay the same amount for the total number of units consumed. A monthly billing cycle will only increase the burden on consumers. For example, if a domestic consumer uses 800 units over two months, the total bill will be Rs4,770. If the billing is done monthly for 400 units each, the consumer will have to pay Rs2,385 each, which still totals Rs4,770. Hence, not even a paisa is saved by switching to a monthly billing cycle," the fourm said. It would also be an inconvenience for the people visiting the Tangedco office to pay the bill, as they have to find time for the same every month, it said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo The forum urged the govt to continue with the existing bi-monthly billing cycle even after the installation of smart meters across the state. "Out of 2.43 crore domestic consumers in the state, only 95,563 have been provided with smart meters so far. At this rate, the process may take a very long time."
The Hindu
15-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Excess fare: warrants issued against MD of TNSTC, Coimbatore, and RTO, Coimbatore North
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Coimbatore, has issued warrants against the Managing Director, Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation, Coimbatore, and the Regional Transport officer, Coimbatore North, for failure to comply with an order passed on February 15, 2018, in a case of collection of excess fare lodged by Coimbatore Consumer Cause. An execution petition filed by K. Kathirmathiyon, secretary, Coimbatore Consumer Cause, during November 2023, cited the dismissal of an appeal made against the order by the State Consumer Commission and also a review petition in 2023. During 2018, three years after he had filed a case before the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Coimbatore, the complainant was refunded the excess fare of ₹6 charged from him for to and fro travel between Vadavalli and Railway Station, along with ₹6,500 towards legal expenses. The petitioner had called for deposit of the excess fare collected during the three-year period in the Chief Minister Relief Fund. The TNSTC, Coimbatore, and the Regional Transport Officer, Coimbatore North, had paid the costs and the TNSTC, Coimbatore, had also deposited the fine of ₹ 10,000 along with interest at 9% for three years amounting to ₹ 7,532 to the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund. A copy of the order was sent to the Chief Secretary and to the Transport Commissioner of Tamilnadu Government to stop such excess collection. However, the TNSTC had claimed that the details of collection from 2015 to 2018 had been destroyed, and, hence, could not file the statement of excess collection. The Hon'ble Commission had, in its verdict cited the Government Rule mandating all the State Transport Corporations to preserve money value documents at least for a minimum period of 8 years as stipulated in the Companies Act 1956. The TNSTC, Coimbatore, had violated the Rule and the order of this Commission, Mr. Kathirmathiyon had contended in his executive petition. The bailable warrants were issued under Section 72 of Consumer Protection Act 2019.
