Man gets ₹70.32 cr inflated bill, power min orders suspension of staff

Energy Minister AK Sharma acted swiftly after a consumer in Basti received a ₹70.32 crore bill due to an error, leading to the suspension of an official.

Energy minister AK Sharma on Wednesday took immediate action after learning about an exorbitant electricity bill issued to a consumer in Basti district.

(Pic for representation)

He directed the managing director of Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd (PuVVNL) to take strict action, leading to the suspension of executive assistant Deepak Kumar Tiwari.

According to a government spokesman the incident occurred in Ram Sukrauli Chaudhary village under the jurisdiction of the Hariaiya power substation. Consumer Molhu received a bill of ₹70.32 crore for January, whereas his actual due amount was only ₹65,229.

“The error stemmed from an incorrect assessment of units (12,174,210 kWh) by Tiwari, which was approved by the subdivision officer. Following the consumer’s complaint, the bill was rectified on February 3 to ₹27,274,” the spokesman said.

Terming such mistakes as “unforgivable offenses,” the minister emphasized that consumer protection and respect are the government’s top priorities.