Mangaluru: Due to issues with Mescom’s server and N-SOFT, the general public and electrical contractors waiting for electricity connections for newly constructed houses are in deep trouble. Meanwhile, many consumers have not received their March bills due to a technical glitch. Many have paid an average amount to avoid the burden of paying two months’ bills together in May.The Karnataka State Licensed Electrical Contractors Association, along with several public organisations, including CITU, DYFI and the Karnataka State Farmers’ Association, have urged Mescom and the district administration to resolve the issue immediately. Sunil Kumar Bajal, CITU Dakshina Kannada district general secretary, said that residents have worked hard to build new homes. When they are about to set a date for the housewarming, they still have not received electricity connections. “Thousands of new homes are struggling without electricity, and customers are mentally stressed. Electrical contractors have completed all the work related to connecting electricity to these new homes at their own expense. However, without electricity connections, customers are withholding payments to the contractors. This has put the lives of hundreds of contractors in severe financial difficulty due to outstanding amounts running into lakhs of rupees,” he said.Leaders of the Electrical Contractors Association have met with senior officials of the Mescom department several times and submitted their grievances, but to no avail. In this context, if the issue is not resolved within the next week, electrical contractors of the district, along with farmer labourers, students, youth, women, Dalit and tribal organisations, will organise a massive protest targeting the Mescom office, he warned. When contacted, Harish Kumar, chairman of Mescom, said that problems existed, but the officials have been working to find solutions. “Technical glitches have been rectified, and the issue of providing new electricity connections will continue. Similarly, technical glitches related to the meter reading and bill issuance are also being solved,” he added.
