A ninety-year-old woman, living in a small hut at Bhagya Nagar in Koppal, was in for a rude shock when she received an electricity bill of over Rs 1 lakh. Girijamma has got a bill of Rs 1,03, 315 for the month of May, though there are only two LED bulbs in her shack.
Girijamma received the electricity connection under the state government’s Bhagya Jyoti scheme, aimed at providing electricity at a minimum price to people living below the poverty line in slums.
The woman used to get a monthly electricity bill of Rs 70 to Rs 80 as she is entitled to 18 units of free power supply under the scheme.
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After the incident came to light, electricity officials rushed to her home and conducted a verification of the meter, which was installed six months ago.
An official said that the woman has got an excess electricity bill due to a problem in meter reading since 2021. He also told the woman that she need not pay the bill and assured her that the officials will resolve the problem.
“We have given power connection to the house under the Bhagya Jyoti scheme. We will give a revised bill after rectifying the problem in the meter. She got an excess bill due to an error by the bill collector and other staff. Action will be initiated against the erring staff members,” he said, as reported by The Deccan Herald.
Meanwhile, a sharp increase in electricity bills in domestic households in Karnataka, at a time when the newly formed Congress government announced free power up to 200 units, has left residents angry, and — in the case of Girijamma — absolutely shocked.
The Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) called for a state-wide bandh on Thursday to protest the abnormal hike in electricity tariff by power supply companies.
Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah had earlier said he would discuss the concerns of the industrialists and reach a solution. He also said the uproar was “uncalled for” as the electricity bills will reflect normal rates from July onwards.
On May 12, the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission approved the proposals made by electricity supply companies to hike the power tariff by 70 paise per unit.
The order issued stated that the new tariff was to be levied on the bills from June with retrospective effect from April, which means that the electricity bill for June includes the new power prices with arrears from April.