Hapur, Uttar Pradesh: An aged couple here was in for a shock when they received the electricity bill for last month. The Hapur district residents found themselves saddled with a bill of more than 1 billion.
The exact number was Rs1,284,595,444; their usage stood at 2 KiloWatt.
Shamim, who lives with his wife in the Chamri village in Hapur, said when he approached the Electricity Department to rectify the error, he was rebuffed. "No one listens to our pleas, how will we submit that amount? When we went to complain about it, we were told that they will not resume our electricity supply unless we pay the bill," he said.
Shamim told reporters his monthly electricity bill is around Rs700- Rs800.
"But this time, the Electricity Department has given me the bill of the entire city," he said.
Senior officials of the Power Department in Lucknow said that they were not aware of the matter and hence, could not comment. When told about the matter, they said it could be a technical glitch and would be rectified.
But until it’s sorted, Shamim and his family will live in darkness.
