Street-light switch boxes filled with CESC meter bills could catch fire

Sir,

I wish to highlight the issue of meter readers of Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) inserting the bills after reading the meter into the switch boxes of street-lights spread all over the city. These bills do not benefit any one. They are not collected by Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) for years. On the contrary they pose two bigger problems if not stopped immediately.

1. They become dry in the summer and can be ignited any time when there is sparking in the box. Since most of these boxes are without proper switches, they are being kept open all the time with bare wires connected and disconnected, twice every day. Sparking in such a condition is inevitable. The bills, being dry and inflammable, could catch fire. It might cause death or injury to animals or humans.
2. These bills being of paper are made out of trees and thus contribute to deforestation to the extent they are unnecessarily used in such cases.

The boxes are ill-maintained which the CESC would say not their responsibility. The bills are not collected by MCC staff who operate the switches (rather bare wires, because all the boxes do not have switches) twice a day. Why should CESC be a part of a problem by inserting bills into such boxes every month? Is it not turning a blind eye to a possible fire hazard?

CESC issues bills to bulk consumers electronically as well. Why waste money on paper bills? There would be a big saving of paper rolls and time besides avoiding possible fire if such a practice is done away with.

If raising a bill is a must as per regulations (regulations do not insist on raising bills only on paper rolls) why not instruct the meter readers to bring all such bills back to CESC office and send them to MCC for payment?

I wish to draw the attention of higher authorities of CESC to look at the suggestion and change the system of issuing paper bills in general to all consumers and in particular to bulk consumers like MCC, etc. Mere sticking to regulations as an alibi not to improve does not meet the aspirations of new generation.

– B.S. Shankara, Ramakrishnanagar, 15.5.2021

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