BESCOM Suspends Physical Power Bills in July for Gruha Jyothi Beneficiaries
BESCOM will not issue printed electricity bills to eligible household consumers during July as Gruha Jyothi verification continues with average consumption based billing sent through SMS and email
Household electricity consumers under the Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company will not receive physical electricity bills for the month of July. Instead, the utility will calculate bills based on the average electricity consumption of the previous three months and send the payable amount through SMS or email.
The temporary change has been introduced because BESCOM meter readers have been assigned to verify beneficiaries of the Karnataka government’s Gruha Jyothi scheme. The verification exercise has affected the regular meter reading schedule, making it impossible to generate bills based on actual monthly consumption.
Officials said the average billing method is only a temporary arrangement. If there is any difference between the estimated bill and the actual electricity usage, the amount will be adjusted in the upcoming billing cycles after normal meter readings resume.
The Gruha Jyothi scheme is one of the Karnataka government’s flagship welfare initiatives, offering up to 200 units of free electricity to eligible households. As part of the ongoing verification process, meter readers are visiting homes to confirm beneficiary details and ensure that only eligible consumers continue to receive the benefits.
BESCOM clarified that the temporary billing method applies only to regular domestic consumers. Customers in several specific categories will continue to receive bills based on actual meter readings without any changes.
The exemption includes high tension electricity consumers, low tension consumers with connected loads of 40 HP or more, rooftop solar power users, and consumers using temporary electricity connections. These categories will continue to follow the standard billing process as usual.
Authorities have advised consumers not to be concerned if they do not receive a printed electricity bill during July. Instead, they should check their registered mobile numbers or email accounts for billing information. Customers are also assured that any billing discrepancies arising from the temporary average calculation will be corrected automatically in future bills.
The electricity utility said the arrangement is intended to ensure uninterrupted billing while the large scale verification exercise is completed. Once the beneficiary verification process concludes, regular meter reading and physical bill distribution are expected to resume.
