E-Paper
Haryana paanwala gets Rs 132-cr power bill
A paanwala or betel-leaf seller in Sonepat district of Haryana received an electricity bill of `132 crore. Rajesh Gupta alias Chautala, who in a 7x7 space runs a betel-leaf shop at Gohana was shocked to receive a bill of Rs 132 crore for a two-month period.
A paanwala or betel-leaf seller in Sonepat district of Haryana received an electricity bill of Rs 132 crore. Rajesh Gupta alias Chautala, who in a 7x7 space runs a betel-leaf shop at Gohana was shocked to receive a bill of `132 crore for a two-month period.
He says that his shop uses a 14 watt tube, a small fan and a fridge. Rajesh Gupta, who works in a private company on a part-time basis said, “My 93-year-old father Lala Chandgi Ram who mostly manages the shop was taken aback when he was told about the bill amount on October 22 by the landlord - Ram Swaroop Gupta.”
He said that though they knew it was nothing else than a computer error but were concerned over the multiple rounds to electricity department to get it corrected. The bill was issued by Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigan (UHBVN).
“No official from electricity department has contacted us so far, but we were told by someone known to us that the actual bill is `1,648,” he said.
Superintendent engineer (SE) of the Sonepat circle, UHBVN, SN Sharma said that the bill was likely to be a software-related error in the online system of billing.
