Residents pay power bills at a Pesu collection centre in Patna on Friday. Picture by Jai Prakash

The loss of two working days because of Holi would not snowball into a burden for power consumers in the form of penalty for late payment. The bill collection centres would be open over the weekend from 10am to 6pm.

The Bihar State Power (Holding) Company Ltd took the decision considering the two-day holiday on Wednesday and Thursday owing to Holi.

On weekdays, the counters function from 10 in the morning till 2.30pm, while on Saturday, kiosks remain open till 12.30pm. But this weekend, all the bill counters, including those under the jurisdiction of Patna Electric Supply Undertaking (Pesu), would remain open from 10am to 6pm.

“The Bihar State Power (Holding) Company Ltd has taken the decision so that consumers do not face any difficulty in making payment of bills. The decision was taken owing to the holidays,” the firm’s deputy general manager (public relations), H.R. Pandey, told The Telegraph.

The collection counters under the distribution companies — North Bihar State Power Distribution Company Ltd and South Bihar State Power Distribution Company Ltd — also remained open on Good Friday, a state holiday, Pandey said. The decision would not only give the consumers additional time to pay bills but would also help the power firm in increasing its revenue collection, he added.

The decision has come as a relief for consumers finding it difficult to pay energy bills on time. “The decision of the power company will benefit us. Now, I can deposit my bill within the due date. I had gone to my village in Sitamarhi during Holi and this extra period will help me pay the bill,” Sanjay Kumar, a government employee, told The Telegraph.

“I work in a private firm. I did not get time to deposit the bill. The decision of the power company would give me enough time now,” said Kankerbagh resident Amit Verma.

On March 15, during a public hearing held by Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission to decide the 2013-14 power tariff, the panel, according to the Electricity Supply Code, 2007, had directed the power company to keep open adequate bill collection centres and give at least 14 days’ time to the consumers from the date of delivery of the bill for payment.

The commission had also directed the holding company to keep a bill counter open in each of its divisions from 8am so that office-goers could clear the bills.