Bengaluru: Electricity meter name transfer soon to go online for a hassle-free experience

The Hindu

a day ago

Soon, consumers of Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) will be able to easily transfer the ownership of electricity meters to their names without much hassle. Bescom, in association with Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), is integrating an 'automatic name change trigger' on its online portal, which will facilitate the transfer based on the property ID number.
Lakhs of electricity consumers, specifically those in apartments, have long struggled with the name transfer of electricity meters from builders/landowners to the owners of individual apartment units. Initially, when apartments are built, the electricity meters are provided under the name of the builders or landowners. While for many years, consumers remained unaware of the fact that they should eventually transfer the meters to their name, the introduction of the Gruha Jyothi Scheme and now BBMP's E-Khata has prompted them to go ahead with the process.
'We are getting many requests; some subdivisions are getting five applications a day for transfer of names after E-Khata has been made mandatory. Hence, the managing director decided to set up a new system on our Web Self Service (WSS) portal (https://bescom.trm.ieasybill.com:444/Login/RegisterView) to transfer names in a hassle-free manner,' said a senior Bescom official.
They further said that the mechanism will work in such a way that after entering the consumer's property ID on the Bescom portal, it will automatically transfer the electricity meter to their name. 'The system is under development, and we are waiting for some communication from BBMP. Once everything falls into place, the trigger system will be functional,' the official said.
'Unaware'
For now, although an online system exists for consumers to use for name transfer, most of them are either unaware of it or do not use it, as it requires the uploading of multiple documents. Many of them also end up paying bribes either to middlemen/agents or even junior officials in sub-division offices to get names transferred.
'My electricity meter was under the name of the builder, and I wanted to transfer it to my name when I was getting my E-Khata done. I found out from other residents in my apartment complex that going to the subdivision office and getting the name changed will take multiple visits. As a working professional, I can't go many times. I tried doing it online, but I was not sure which portal I was supposed to use. I ended up paying ₹5,000 to an agent who had helped many others in my apartment, to get the name transferred,' explained Kamalesh Sharma, a resident of an apartment complex in Yelahanka.
Commenting on the lack of awareness about the process, Vikram Rai, secretary, Bangalore Apartment Federation (BAF), said, 'Many do not even know that the meter is not in their names. It is necessary to create awareness and break the knowledge gap regarding this. We have released a white paper that details all the steps to avail this transfer.'
He also said that resident welfare associations (RWA) often face challenges while getting the name transfer for common area meters, too. 'Even here, they are not aware that they should get the name changed until they go for rooftop solar installations,' he said.