90-Year-old Woman Living In Shed Charged With Rs 1 lakh Electricity Bill

Another case of a highly inflated electricity bill came to light, this time it is Karnataka. A 90-year-old woman was charged with an electricity bill of Rs 1 lakh. The catch was that an elderly woman lived in a tiny shed at Bhagyanagar in Koppal City, Karnataka. 

The woman identified as Girijamma used to pay Rs. 70 to Rs. 80 per month as a power tariff. Suddenly an Rs. 1 lakh electricity bill brought her into crisis. Girijamma comes from a poor economic background, she has been struggling to even make end meets. Given the scenario, an inflated electricity bill shattered her life. 

Karnataka Woman Gets Inflated Electricity Bill, Ask Media To Help

She made a tearful appeal to the media to help her get out of the problem. Media questioned Minister for Power, K.J. George on Thursday, 22 June. George responded saying, “She got the bill that mentioned the wrong amount due to a glitch in the meter. She need not pay the bill.” Later, reportedly the staff of Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company (Gescom) rushed to her location to get the issue resolved. 

The officials checked the power meter and settled that it was a technical glitch. The staff and bill collector was responsible for the inflated bill and the inconvenience caused to the woman, claimed the official.  

The woman was informed not to pay the electricity bill. The elderly woman thanked the officer and media for helping her out and getting her out of such an issue. 

This is not the first time that people were charged with inflated electricity bills. Earlier, Mohammed Irfan, a vegetable seller from Malad Mumbai received a bill of Rs.13,464 in September 2020. In another case, A electricity bill of Rs. 40,000 took the life of a 57-year-old man, who hailed from Nagpur. The man was unable to pay the amount and hence forced him to take his own life. In 2022, A man from Gwalior City of Madhya Pradesh received a Rs 3,419 crore electricity bill, which was unreasonable. The bill triggered a health emergency and the man was hospitalised. Many such incidents have taken the lives of people. It has also attracted flak from people across the state. 

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