Himachal electricity board slams Kangana Ranaut’s ‘misleading’ bill claim

A day after Kangana Ranaut claimed that Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) had handed her a monthly bill of Rs one lakh for her Manali residence, the board clarified that Ranaut’s claim was not factual. According to the electricity board, the bill was for two months and the amount was Rs 90,384.

The board further claimed that Ranaut did not pay her bills regularly and the connected load at her residence is 94.82 kW, which is 1,500 per cent more than the normal household.

While addressing a public gathering in Mandi on Tuesday, Ranaut claimed that she had received Rs one lakh electricity bill for her Manali residence where she doesn’t even stay.

“They have increased bus fare, agencies conduct a probe on ‘samosa’, and we hear and read all this and feel embarrassed. I would say they are like wolves and we need to rescue the state from their claws,” the Mandi MP said, taking a potshot at the Congress government.

In the clarification, the board said that it was wrong and misleading on the part of Ranaut to claim that the bill was for one month. “In the bill issued to Ranaut on March 22, the previous unpaid bill of Rs 32,287 has also been included. The total bill for two months amounts to Rs 90,384,” said the board’s spokesperson.