As several consumers reported discrepancies in their electricity bills this month ranging from missing payments to repeated entries, the Department of Power, Mokokchung Electrical Sub-Division has explained the cause of the confusion and assured that the problem will not recur.
Residents visiting the billing counter on Monday said their latest bills did not reflect payments already made. One consumer told MT that even after settling three months’ dues last month, her December 9 bill still showed the same amount as unpaid.
Responding to the concerns, Sub-Divisional Officer Er Achanger Aier told MT that the confusion is the result of a temporary mismatch during the ongoing shift from the traditional offline system to an online billing system.
“We regret the inconvenience caused, but it is because we are going through a transition period from offline to online at the moment,” he said.
According to him, the department is in the process of enabling online bill payments for all wards in Mokokchung.
“We are working on an opportunity to provide our people the option to pay online,” he added.
Clarifying the issue that triggered this month’s discrepancies, the SDO said the accounting cycle was closed on date 15.
“About the recent inconvenience, last month we closed the account on the 15th. Therefore, those who paid after the 15th were not taken into account, and it came together with the bill of this month,” he said.
He stressed that the department will correct any errors for consumers who bring their receipts.
“If the consumers bring their receipt, we will definitely register them as paid and won’t charge,” he said.
However, he added that consumers who made late payments would face this one-time inconvenience due to the transition from offline to online.
“From next month, it won’t happen,” he assured.
Er Aier also explained that the gradual rollout of the online payment system is the reason not all wards are reflected uniformly.
“We are doing ward-phase, so we cannot go fully online at the moment. But we definitely will be going online from next month,” he added.
As the department continues its system transition, consumers have been urged to carry their payment receipts to the office if their bills show discrepancies.
