Billing error puts BEST GM in slum

The general manger of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking lives in the Indira Nagar slum at Wadala. Or at least that is what two electricity bills issued by the BEST suggest.

The general manger of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking lives in the Indira Nagar slum at Wadala. Or at least that is what two electricity bills issued by the BEST suggest.

HT Image

The Hindustan Times has obtained these two electricity bills that state the BEST GM's address as 'Ground floor, Indira Nagar, Wadala -37'. The bills has been issued in the name of 'The GM BEST Undertaking' and are signed by chief engineer MB Urankar. Curiously, both the bills are for November 2011.

OP Gupta, general manager, BEST admitted it was a mistake on part of his officers. “This must be a teething problem. We have adopted a new system for issuing bills and mistakes can happen,” he said, assuring an inquiry.

BEST committee chairman Sunil Shinde, however, blamed the problem on privatisation of the billing system. “The BEST administration has awarded contracts of issuing bills to a private firm. That is what must have lead to this problem,” said Shinde.

The Indira Nagar slum near Antop Hill, Wadala has about 1,000 hutments. Local corporator Ravi Raja did not spare the opportunity to take a swipe at the BEST. “I am happy that general manager of the BEST stays in my ward,” Raja said. He added that he would raise the issue in the BEST committee meeting on Thursday.