Slapped with Rs 7.97 lakh power bill, Uppal house owner goes through harrowing experience

HYDERABAD: A vacant two-bedroom ground floor portion in the high court colony of Uppal area has consumed Rs 7,97,576 worth of electricity in just one month, going by the online bill generated by the Southern Power Distribution Company. The due date on the bill is June 26, 2023, making the shocked owner of the house run from pillar to post to get it rectified.

According to Andalam, mother of P Sridevi, owner of the house, the electricity employee who came to take the meter reading did not give a printed bill saying that there was a technical glitch. With the last date for paying the bill fast approaching, she took other’s help and got the bill downloaded. To her shock, she found that the bill which never crossed Rs 150 to Rs 200 has skyrocketed to Rs 7,97,576.

But the trouble for the old lady had only just begun. When she approached the Southern Power Distribution Company, she was made to pay Rs 190 for the power consumed in May and was directed to get the meter repaired. She went to Uppal’s power utility office along with the malfunctioned meter.

After making her wait for hours, she was sent to another office near the Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC). There, to her bewilderment, she was advised to get the meter repaired and fixed at her own expense.

“The problem is with the meter provided by the department. They must repair it and fix it back, instead, they want a bribe to sort out the issue,” she commented on the state of affairs at the power utility. She said that the meter was finally rectified and fixed but only after she spent hours following it up for no fault of hers.