Lucknow, Nov. 26 -- In its latest zero-hike tariff order, the Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) has introduced a fresh set of consumer-oriented directives for discoms, addressing issues repeatedly raised during public hearings. The commission has focused on gaps in billing transparency, prepaid metering, seasonal industry norms, TDS (tax deducted at source) compliance and supply conditions in multi-storied buildings. One of the major directions issued this year concerns prepaid consumers, who, the Commission noted, were not being provided bills despite making daily advance payments. UPERC has now made it mandatory for discoms to issue monthly bills for all prepaid and smart prepaid consumers, with final billing done as per the applicable tariff schedule and Supply Code provisions. The final amount will be reconciled with daily deductions and any excess must be credited to the consumer's account within a day, while any shortfall will be debited and adjusted during the next recharge. The Commission has also intervened on the long-standing issue of disconnections for exceeding contracted demand in prepaid systems. "Although an earlier order allowed automatic cut-off of supply when load exceeded the sanctioned level, UPERC observed that such consumers were being disconnected, creating avoidable hardship," a senior UPPCL official said. The Commission has now directed that prepaid consumers be treated on a par with postpaid ones. Their supply will no longer be disconnected, instead, the applicable penalty for exceeding contracted load will simply be deducted from their balance. Responding to complaints from industrial consumers, UPERC has further ordered discoms to strictly comply with TDS requirements on interest paid on security deposits. Since many consumers were unable to claim tax benefits in the absence of TDS certificates, the Commission has instructed discoms to update PAN records, deposit the deducted tax, and ensure that TDS certificates are issued at the time of interest payment and made available for download in consumer accounts. To improve billing transparency for industrial consumers billed on kVAh, the Commission has directed discoms to clearly mention the power factor (PF) on monthly bills. "Without this, consumers cannot verify whether incentives for maintaining a high power factor or penalties for low PF have been correctly applied. The Commission believes that displaying PF on bills will also encourage consumers to take corrective steps to avoid penalties," UPERC observed on its order on Saturday. UPERC has also simplified the process for seasonal industry consumers by stating that those eligible for seasonal tariff need to declare their off-season period only once rather than every year. The declaration will take effect from the next billing cycle and remain valid thereafter. Additionally, the Commission has directed discoms to ensure that bills clearly show the rate of Fuel and Power Purchase Adjustment Surcharge (FPPAS) levied during the billing cycle, as well as the rate of interest applied on security deposits in the bills where such interest is paid....