Patna, July 23: Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) has dealt a double blow to its consumers. It has charged the users for fuel surcharge but has refrained from informing them with the period (month) concerned.

Consumers receive their monthly electricity bills with fuel and purchase price cost adjustment (FPPCA), commonly known as fuel surcharge, but the bill does not have details of the fuel surcharge, keeping them in the dark.

Since BSEB has so far imposed fuel surcharge six times for 22 months, some bills with retrospective effect from January 2009, and hence, it is difficult for consumers to find out the period for which the surcharge is being realised from them.

The users have to make payment for fuel surcharge in 13 instalments instead of 22 months but the bill prepared by the board does not have mention the month for which surcharge is being levied on the consumers, what the total consumption (in units) in that particular month was for which surcharge has been imposed or what the number of instalments of surcharge is and other things.

Ajay Kumar, a resident of Boring Canal Road, rued the board’s autocratic and non-transparent attitude. He said: “There is no transparency in the board’s affairs at all. We get electricity bills with FPPCA charge. When I enquired about FPPCA with one of my friends, he told me it was fuel surcharge but without details.”

Another consumer, Manoj Kumar Singh, a resident of LIC Colony, Kankerbagh, said: “At a time when the government is trying to make things transparent through the Right to Information Act, the board’s senior officials can’t run it on their whims and fancies, keeping basic information under wraps.” Singh said it was the legitimate right of consumers to get detailed electricity bills, which BSEB cannot deny, as it was a genuine demand.

“The board unilaterally announces its surcharge which has become the order of the day. It is the concern of genuine consumers who make timely payments and hence, the board should also reciprocate by redressing their grievances (of not getting detailed electricity bills). It is beyond one’s comprehension why the board is not giving detailed bills,” said Rameshwar Prasad Singh, a resident of Alamganj Chowki.

When reached for comment, the board’s spokesman and director of public relations, H.R. Pandey, told The Telegraph: “We will look into the matter and try to redress the consumers’ problem.” Pandey said: “We will have to change the present software for which we will talk with software engineers in this regard.”