16,000 bounced cheques for power bills in Western Maharashtra
As per MSEDCL statistics, in the Pune region, the majority of bounced cheques —12,543—occurred in the Pune district, leading to bank charges of ₹94.07 lakh
In West Maharashtra, over the past six months, 16,141 cheques amounting to ₹41.89 crore from low-tension electricity consumers of the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) have bounced for various reasons. Consequently, these consumers are facing a total fine of ₹1.21 crore due to bank charges and late fees.
As per MSEDCL statistics, in the Pune region, the majority of bounced cheques —12,543—occurred in the Pune district, leading to bank charges of ₹94.07 lakh. Other districts --Satara had 488 bounced checks resulting in ₹3.66 lakh in charges, Solapur had 894 checks bounce for ₹6.70 lakh, Kolhapur faced 1,722 bounced checks amounting to ₹12.91 lakh, and Sangli saw 494 checks bounce for ₹3.70 lakh.
Bhujang Khandare, Pune regional director, said, “Several online payment options are available, such as ECS, NEFT, and RTGS.” He noted that an average of 2,690 checks bounce each month in Western Maharashtra, urging consumers to switch to online payments for their electricity bills.
He further said, “ Common reasons for bounced checks include incorrect dates, tampering, wrong signatures, mismatched names, and insufficient funds in the account. If multiple bills are paid with a bounced check, each bill incurs a penalty of ₹750 in bank charges and a late fee of 1.25%.”
Normally, cheques take three to five days to clear, and payments are only recognised on the deposit date. In Western Maharashtra, about 42.12 lakh low-tension consumers, representing 79% of the state, pay an average of ₹1,195.70 crore in electricity bills each month from home.