Patna: The power distribution companies will bill customers - who have not been spot-billed for April - based on their average consumption in the past 12 months.

The distribution companies were waiting for the government to announce the new subsidy rates to be passed on to customers. The announcement was delayed and it was decided to start spot-billing work from April 10. So, the calculation was done on the basis of the old subsidy.

But for customers whose billing cycle fell between April 1 and 9, it was decided to produce an average bill.

"Yes, it is right. They have issued a bill dated April 7 in my name in which the meter reading had not been done. The bill just mentioned the amount. I got confused but then paid the bill," said N.K. Mishra, a resident of Ramnagri in west Patna.

Clearing the doubts of all such consumers who have received such bills, Bihar State Power Holding Company Ltd director (administration) R. Lakshmanan said: "The meter reading for all such customers would be done in the May cycle when the actual reading would be taken. The amount paid by these customers, based on the average billing produced in April, will be reduced from the next bill. So, there would be no additional load on the customers."

Lakshmanan said the average billing, which is permitted by the Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission for exigencies, was done to first, maintain the billing cycle and second, not to overburden customers with a two-month bill in one go.

Explaining the cut-off date from which the new subsidy rate would be calculated, Lakshmanan said it would be effective from April 18. Prior to that, the old rate of subsidy would be taken into account.

The government was giving Rs 1.48 of subsidy for per unit of electricity consumption to urban domestic consumption in the 2017-18 fiscal. According to the new subsidy announced on Tuesday, urban domestic consumers would get subsidy of Rs 1.83 per unit of electricity consumed in the 2018-19 fiscal.