Himachal kiosk owner gets Rs 82,000 electricity bill after smart meter installation; triggers outrage
Images of bill and installed smart meter went viral on social media on Tuesday
A resident in Himachal Pradesh has voiced his concern over high electricity bills after the installation of smart meters by the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) and called for immediate correction of the inflated bills and replacement of the smart meter with an electronic meter.
Ranjeet Singh (75), an underprivileged resident of Bagga village in the nearby Jawali subdivision, runs a small roadside kiosk. He received his first inflated postpaid bill about three weeks after a smart meter was installed at his shed-like kiosk.
The bill of Rs 82,059, sent to his mobile phone on February 5 by HPSEBL, shocked the kiosk owner. Images of the bill and the installed smart meter went viral on social media on Tuesday, triggering widespread resentment among electricity consumers in the region.
Ranjeet Singh shared copies of the bill with The Tribune on Sunday and said that before the installation of the smart electricity meter, he used to receive monthly bills between Rs 200 and Rs 300.
He produced his January bill, issued against consumer ID 200002069308, amounting to Rs 219 and dated January 16, with a due date of January 23, which he paid on January 17. However, he said that the latest bill, issued for the same consumer number with a payment deadline of February 26, was shockingly inflated and had left him distressed.
Bagga gram panchayat pradhan Yogesh Kumar said residents had protested the installation of smart meters at the local office of the Junior Engineer in the Kotla electrical subdivision on January 22.
He accused Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Ltd of installing the meters in haste without creating adequate public awareness or addressing consumers’ doubts. He added that inquiries revealed that an earlier case had also surfaced in Kotla town, where a consumer reportedly received an inflated smart meter bill of Rs 95,000.
When contacted, Kundan Singh, assistant engineer, electrical sub-division, Kotla, said an inquiry will be conducted on Monday. “This inflated power supply bill seems to have generated due to human error, and the issue will be addressed,” he added.
