This is with reference to the news item ‘Gas Billing: What’s SSGC upto?’ appearing in the Business Recorder dated January 6th, 2020. The news item needs a few clarifications that are stated below.
“At the outset, it must be clarified that SSGC bills its over 3 million customers through a well-defined billing programme to account for 365 days’ gas sale in a year.
“Each customer is billed on an approximate 30 days with a possible two-day variation on either side viz-a-viz 28 to 32 days that is sometimes necessitated to meet the billing cycle/365 days, due to unavoidable circumstances such as public holidays or any eventuality that may render the reading impossible. This parameter is already covered under the OGRA approved procedures.
“It must be noted that the average customer gets an advantage in the slab/tariff impact when the very same customer is billed for less than 30 days subsequently at some point in the same calendar year.
“This twelve billing cycle program takes into account each day of the year to facilitate monthly reading and bill delivery. Furthermore, the tariffs and the slabs are applicable under OGRA Rules.
“SSGC categorically denies the assertion of willful three days ahead reading than the current reading. Images of Meter Reading Index are printed on each bill and all readings are taken through “Hand Held Devices” which update Meter reading data to Billing Software automatically without any human intervention. So, any kind of manipulation between actual and billed reading is simply out of question.
“SSGC believes in complete transparency when billing its customers. The above explanation therefore certainly removes misconceptions related to the Company’s billing process which, to reiterate, is clearly well defined and customer-centric.”-PR
