Karnataka couple living in one-room flat gets electricity bill of Rs 4 lakh

The couple lives in a one bedroom house in Indira Nagar and their electricity bill is usually around Rs 700 to Rs 1,000. This time, a bill of Rs 4,26,852 was issued for June. After complaining, a meter glitch was revealed and a fresh bill of Rs 885 was issued.

Bellary (Karnataka):In a yet another incident of alleged meter glitch in Karnataka, owner of a one-room flat has received an electricity bill of a whooping Rs 4 lakh.

Mahesh, a resident of Indira Nagar, lives in a one bedroom accommodation. The couple was in for a shock after getting a bill of Rs 4,26,852 for the month of June.

"Usually, our electricity bill is between Rs 700 to Rs 1,000 every month. But, this time we have been asked to pay such an exorbitant amount. We complained to the Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company (GESCOM) about this," said Mahesh.

Earlier, the man was asked to pay the electricity bill, which is based on the meter reader of his house, online. When Mahesh checked his power consumption online, a bill amount of Rs 4 lakh was displayed. He complained immediately following which GESCOM staff came to checked the meter reading. It was revealed that the bill amount was incorrect due to some technical glitch in the meter. The man was then asked to pay Rs 885 and a fresh bill was issued to him.

Mahesh's wife Veeramma said, "We have a refrigerator and three fans in our house. During winter, our power consumption goes down. In the last few months our electricity bill ranged between Rs. 700 and Rs. 1,000. After getting the bill this month, we have stopped using fans and the refrigerator frequently. Also, we use the washing machine only when necessary," she said.

Last month a 90-year-old woman received an electricity bill of Rs 1 lakh for her small hut, which has only two LED bulbs. The woman usually got Rs 70 or 80 per month but this time she was asked to pay Rs 1,03,315. The electricity department staff reached the woman's hut and found that there was a glitch in the meter.

Prior to this, another family living in Karnataka's Ullal received a bill of Rs 7 lakh. The error had occurred due to a mistake in the meter reader.