A new electricity or water connection, without the linesman's cut
A connection is a service you are buying, not a favour. Most state utilities publish both the price and the number of days it should take — and several must pay you if they miss it.
Start with the two published numbers
Every state electricity regulator publishes a schedule of charges and a standard of performance: how many days a new connection should take in an urban area, in a rural one, with and without a line extension. Water boards publish the same. Find both before you apply; they are the whole argument.
Apply on the record
- Apply online where possible, and keep the application number.
- Pay the estimate by challan or online — never in cash to a person at your door.
- Keep the sanctioned load, the estimate and the receipt together in one file.
- Photograph the meter and its serial number on the day it is installed.
Common demands and the honest answer
- “Material is short, pay for the cable.” Material against a sanctioned estimate is the utility's job. If extra material is genuinely needed, it belongs in a revised estimate with a receipt.
- “The pole needs shifting, that is separate.” Shifting has a published charge. Ask for it in the estimate.
- “Tea for the gang.” A tip after the job is your choice; a payment before it is a condition, which is a different thing.
When it is late
File a complaint with the utility's consumer grievance redressal forum, quoting the application number, the date and the published timeline. Many states then require automatic compensation for the delay. The Electricity Ombudsman sits above the forum if the answer is unsatisfactory.
Report the office anonymously and help map the pattern.
Report a bribe