The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Coimbatore News : `TNEB consumers left in the dark'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 16, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore

`TNEB consumers left in the dark'

By Our Staff Reporter

COIMBATORE, APRIL 15. The Coimbatore Consumer Cause (CCC) has criticised the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) for having declared April 14 a holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act at a very short notice and for its failure to inform the public.

In a memorandum to the Chairman of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB), the Secretary of CCC, K. Kathirmathiyon, pointed out that April 14 was declared a holiday under the Negotiable Instruments Act only for the Central Government establishments and offices.

It was a working day for all the State Government offices except the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board.

But the public was not aware of it. Being the last but one day for payment of electricity charges, many people visited the offices and found that it was a holiday for the TNEB much to their disappointment.

Every year the State Government declares a list of holidays in a calendar year well in advance and the list was being strictly adhered to.

Whenever there is a deviation from the list, the Government and the agencies concerned should make it a point to inform the public well in advance.

When other State Government offices were functioning, the TNEB, which chose to declare a holiday on April 14, should have made a public announcement in this regard through the media.

Similarly, as April 13 (Tamil New Year) and 14 (B.R. Ambedkar's birth anniversary) were holidays, the TNEB chose to extend the time for payment of current consumption charges by a day ie up to April 16 instead of April 15 (the last date). Even this extension had not been communicated to the subscribers, he pointed out.

In both the cases, the TNEB chose to end the matter with just an internal communication with no public announcement. Similarly, the decision of the bankers to avail a holiday for B.R. Ambedkar birth anniversary on April 14 came at a very short notice to the public.

Two consecutive holidays on a Tuesday and Wednesday after just one working day (ie., Monday) after the weekend put the merchants and businessmen to hardship, other consumer organisations contended.

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