Chandigarh Residents Voice Frustration Over Power Billing Chaos and Supply Disruptions
Residents across multiple sectors in Chandigarh have escalated their concerns regarding ongoing problems with the city's power supply and billing systems. Issues such as overcharging, unexplained arrears, the issuance of double bills within a single month, and frequent power disruptions are at the forefront of public grievances.
Billing Confusion and Harassment
Many residents have highlighted a severe lack of clarity in billing cycles, coupled with significant delays in rectifying errors. Sunita Sharma, a resident of Sector 47D, described the confusion over billing cycles, noting that households are receiving two electricity bills in one month. "Imposition of arrears despite timely payments has become a major source of harassment," she said. "This issue affects not only domestic bills but also public facilities like toilets, where associations must submit paid receipts to the Municipal Corporation for cost recovery, yet arrears still appear."
Sharp Rise in Bill Amounts
Col Gursewak Singh (retd), president of the RWA at Manimajra Housing Complex in Sector 13, expressed alarm over the sharp increase in bill amounts. "The bill for January 2026 is either similar to or exceeds the amount for two months in January 2025, even though usage remains consistent," he stated. "There must be transparency in the charges being imposed."
Lack of Clarity and Fixed Charges
J J Singh, president of the Sector 48 RWA, pointed to confusion over the billing structure itself. "There is total confusion over the billing cycle. If bills are now monthly instead of bi-monthly, fixed charges should be rationalized accordingly," he explained. "However, the bills remain unclear, and there is a lack of clarity from the company, leaving users feeling exploited."
Frequent Power Cuts and Tripping Issues
Beyond billing woes, frequent power cuts and tripping have exacerbated residents' frustrations. Avinash Dhawan of the Sector 45C RWA reported that the situation has deteriorated over the past year. "Power disruptions have increased without any storms or major maintenance work to justify them. Tripping is also a persistent problem," he said.
Concerns Over Meter-Checking Staff
Kuljinder Singh Sra of the Sector 33B RWA added that disruptions often occur when power is restored after an outage. "Whenever supply returns after cuts, frequent tripping follows. We worry about peak summer when demand rises, as we pay for power but services haven't improved," he noted. Sra also raised concerns about meter-checking staff visiting homes in the afternoon without proper identification or credentials, causing distress, especially among senior citizens.
CPDL's Response and Explanations
In response to these complaints, a CPDL spokesperson clarified that the company transitioned from bi-monthly to monthly billing effective January 19, 2026, following directives from the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC). "Meter readings are now captured through photo-based reading and optical character recognition (OCR) software, eliminating manual entry and provisional billing," the spokesperson said.
The utility has introduced pre-billing and post-billing audits along with a prompt correction mechanism to reduce discrepancies. "Migration to monthly billing is supported by an improved SAP-enabled system, allowing real-time bill corrections, unlike the earlier process that could take up to two months," CPDL stated. The company also noted that newly trained meter readers are well-versed in the updated system, with complaints significantly reduced in March.
Regarding arrears, CPDL explained: "Arrears may appear if the previous bill was unpaid or paid after issuance of the new bill, with last payment details printed on bills. There is no overlap in bills; they were issued for separate consumption periods in January and February with different due dates."
On power disruptions, the spokesperson maintained: "Only scheduled outages for pre-summer maintenance are being carried out to ensure seamless supply. Comprehensive maintenance and infrastructure upgrades, including preventive measures for transformers and distribution lines, are underway to prevent outages."
Summary of Key Issues
- Residents reported double electricity bills within a single month, creating confusion over billing cycles.
- RWAs flagged unexplained arrears added despite timely payments.
- Consumers complained of sharp increases in bill amounts, with one-month bills in January 2026 matching or exceeding two-month bills from January 2025 despite similar usage.
- RWAs cited a lack of clarity on fixed charges after the shift to monthly billing.
- Residents highlighted frequent power cuts and tripping, even without storms or major repairs.
- Meter-checking staff were reported visiting homes without proper identification, causing concern.
CPDL's Standpoint
- CPDL shifted from bi-monthly to monthly billing from January 19, 2026, as per JERC directions.
- Billing is now based on photo-based meter readings using OCR software, eliminating manual entry and provisional billing.
- Pre-billing and post-billing audits and a prompt correction mechanism have been introduced to reduce discrepancies.
- Arrears may appear if the previous bill was unpaid or paid after issuance of the new bill, with last payment details printed on bills.
- There is no overlap in bills, which were issued for separate consumption periods in January and February with different due dates.
- On power disruptions, CPDL stated that only scheduled outages for pre-summer maintenance are being carried out, along with infrastructure upgrades to ensure uninterrupted supply.
