An owner of a small tyre repair shop in Haryana’s Faridabad was handed over an electricity bill of over
Rs77 crore, leaving him utterly “shocked”.
“I run a shop from a rented building where I repair punctured tyres. My bill has always been Rs2,000-2,500. I only have a fan and a bulb working here. I have cleared all my earlier bills. This one came as a shocker,” said the shopkeeper, whose shop (Surinder Auto Works) is in Adarsh Nagar colony.
Neighbours said the shopkeeper’s mother had to be taken to a doctor as she felt unwell after hearing about the inflated bill.
The bill, dated October 31, was issued by the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN).
The officials blamed the bill on technical and computer glitches and suspended Vikram Singh, sub-divisional officer, Bairam, Commercial Assistant and Pritam Singh, lower Divisional clerk with immediate effect for issuing inflated erroneous bill.
A spokesperson of the Nigam said consumer Jagpal in Faridabad was issued a bill of about Rs 77 crore.
But this is not the first instance in Haryana that a consumer has been given a huge bill.
A pan-seller (betel-leaf seller) in Gohana town in Sonipat district got a bill of Rs 132 crore in October last year.
Earlier, an electricity consumer in Narnaul town got a bill of Rs 234 crore in April 2007.
The Nigam had issued clear directions that the pre-audit of bills is important before issuing bill to consumers in which any error in bill could be rectified before it is issued, said the spokesperson.