Power consumers of parts of Patna have not been receiving their electricity bills for the past few days.

The strike by the employees of the agency entrusted with the job of meter reading and delivering the electricity bills in the city is apparently to blame.

Feedback Infra Private Limited, Gurgaon, has been carrying out the meter reading job for the year-and-a-half. An estimated 40 to 50 per cent of power consumers have been affected by the strike of the employees of the agency, affecting Pesu's monthly collection target of Rs 100 crore.

The delay in getting bills has caused problems for the consumers who want to pay the electricity bills regularly. Now, they apprehend getting accumulated electricity bills that may adversely affect his/her monthly budget. Not only consumers are at the receiving end but Pesu may also suffer decrease in revenue collection for May.

"We usually get the power bill between the 15th and the 20th of every month. I have been waiting for the bill for the past 15 days but in vain. Later, I will have to manage money for paying the energy bills for both May and June, impacting adversely on her monthly budget," said Nutan Kumari, a resident of Keshri Nagar.

Pesu, however, said the distribution of bills would be streamlined in a week or so, as the agency has assured Pesu that it would adopt measures to ensure timely meter reading and distribution of electricity bills.

"The strike by employees (those engaged in the meter reading and distribution by the agency) has adversely affected the meter reading and distribution of bills. We are getting the work done (meter reading and distribution) by our men. The agency has, however, deputed its staff to do the same in Dakbungalow and Bankipore divisions," said Pesu general manager-cum-chief engineer Dilip Kumar Singh.

Around 250 employees of Feedback Infra Pvt Ltd, Gurgaon, went on strike since May 7, 2015 demanding appointment as meter readers in response to the advertisement issued by Bihar State Power (Holding) Company Ltd (BSPHCL).

The company had, on May 6, 2015, issued an advertisement to fill up 1,280 posts of meter readers for both North Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited & South Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited on a fixed pay for probation period of three years and subsequently after completion of three years, these meter readers would get payscale.

The meter readers of the agency are demanding appointment to the posts on the ground that they have the work experience of five years, as they have been working in Patna since March 2010 under different agencies.

But the BSPHCL on May 21, 2015 cancelled the advertisement to fill up the posts of meter readers without citing any reason. The agency, in the meantime, also issued notices to its 150 striking employees for terminating their services.