Inflated power bills haunt residents

Thousands of residents who have got inflated power bills due to some technical glitches have been running from pillar to post to get them rectified.

Thousands of residents who have got inflated power bills due to some technical glitches have been running from pillar to post to get them rectified.

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In the past few months, the residents have been facing problems such as duplication of bills, false meter reading, irregularity in bill generation, and inadequate consumer redressal system. "I got a bill of Rs 1.6 lakh in place of Rs 80,000. I went to the customer care centre and requested for correction in the bill. But the men at the centre told me to pay the inflated amount and said that in the next billing cycle the inflated amount would be deducted," said an owner of a factory at Industrial Development Colony (IDC) Sector 14.

The residents have complained that they are being harassed by the officials of the electricity department. They will now meet Devender Singh, the chief managing director of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitaran Nigam (DHBVN). The CMD had earlier assured that consumers, mainly the elderly, should not be harassed for any reason.

The DHBVN has also admitted errors in bills due to some technical change in the bill generation system.

"We have roped in Mahendra Satyam Ltd in place of HCL for bill generation. The new agency was transferring all data and this transition phase has caused inflated bill problem," said Sanjiv Chopra, superintending engineer, DHBVN.