TSECL Faces Financial Pressure Due to Low Bill Payment Rate

Tripura State Electricity Corporation (TSECL) is facing significant financial stress due to non-payment of electricity bills by consumers. Only 39.87% of the total consumers paid their bills in June. Despite disconnecting over 80,000 connections, only 796 defaulters cleared their dues, leaving TSECL burdened with financial constraints.

Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL) is grappling with financial instability as a result of low consumer bill payments, an official stated on Saturday.

In June, merely 39.87% of TSECL's 6,00,128 consumers fulfilled their bill obligations.

Despite disconnecting over 80,000 defaulter accounts, a mere 796 resolved their dues last month, said the official.

“The heavy backlog of unpaid electricity bills has become a significant strain on the state’s power utility. Around 40% of consumers have paid their bills while the rest failed to do so in June,” Biswajit Basu, Managing Director of TSECL, told PTI.

Several measures, including service disconnections, have been implemented to improve collections, but have yielded minimal results as consumers frequently miss payment deadlines, worsening TSECL's financial health.

“We are exploring ways to incentivize timely bill payments. TSECL cannot compel customers to pay on time. Chief Minister Manik Saha will hold a meeting on Monday to review the power sector's future plans, where this issue is likely to be addressed,” Basu added.