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Power Discom Hands Hefty Power Bills to Below Poverty Line Families

  • Electricity bills are giving unexpected shock to around 50 below poverty line (BPL) families of Sanjay Nagar in Sanwer Tehshil. Residents, who earn their livelihood by working as daily wagers, have reportedly received electricity bills for a month in a range between Rs 15,000 and Rs 30,000 each from MP Western Region Power Distribution Company (MPWRPDC).The power discom (MPWRPDC) has allegedly handed inflated bills to around 50 BPL card holders in the region, who were paying Rs 100 for usage of three months till January. The affected people are now running from pillar to post in order to get relief from burden of excess electricity bill.

  • Ishwar Singh, a daily wage earner, said, "I have got an electricity bill of Rs 30,309 for my connection. I don't have anything more than bulb and a fan as electric gadgets in my house."Antar Singh, a labourer, who has got an electricity bill of Rs 18,000, said that till last month, he was paying just Rs 100 once in three months. "Now they are threatening me to pay the bill or else they will send me to jail," said Singh adding he was not in position to pay such a huge amount. But his requests to the electricity department fell on deaf ears.

  • The power discom has not even spared the deceased while sending huge bills. Showing the death certificate of his son, Bharat Singh, another victim, said that his son died two years back and now the power discom sent them a bill of Rs 17,000 in the name of his son Jitendra. Interestingly Bharat received two bills - one in his name and another in the name of Jitendra."How they sent two electricity bills to one family that too one in the name of a member, who is not alive now," said Singh adding that they have approached everyone taking up their problem right from the electricity department to collector but to no avail.

  • Sanwer MLA Tulsi Silwat said, "Electricity department is doing injustice to the poor. Inflated bill is a major problem of the power discom." Silawat is now planning to raise the matter in the state assembly.However, superintendent engineer (operation & maintenance) of MPWRPDC, Kailash Shiva, who is in-charge of Sanwer area, claims that it is matter of misprint and they have fixed it."Meter reading of the some of the consumers were wrong, which resulted in generating wrong bills. We have instructed to record the reading again," said Shiva adding that bills were a little more because now they are charging as per meter reading.

  • He further said that department installed the meter to all single phase users in February and now they are charging accordingly. Earlier people were charged flat so the bills were less. Now it would be more, he said. BPL card holders get 25 units of free electricity. "Now on we will take meter reading and deduct 25 units from BPL consumers and the rest will be charged," Shiva said.

  • On sending bill to the deceased, Shiva said he would look into the matter.The power discom did not even spare the deceased while sending huge bills. Bharat Singh, a victim, said that his son died two years back and now the power discom has sent them a bill of Rs 17,000 in the name of his son.

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