Shock for Haryana paanwala as he gets Rs 132 cr power bill

A paan (betel leaf) seller in Haryana’s Gohana got jolt after he received an electricity bill of Rs 132.29 crore this Diwali season, which the Haryana power utility UHBVN described as a "blunder" caused because of some technical problem in its online billing software system.

Admitting the "goof-up", Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam has found that the actual electricity bill of paan seller Rajesh Chautala was Rs 1,668 for two months till October 14 with the consumption of 232 units.

"It was a shock for me when I saw the electricity bill mentioning the amount Rs 132.29 crore," Chautala said, adding that his electricity bill was usually up to Rs 900.

The paan seller said he used only a fan and a bulb at his shop in Gohana town of Sonipat district and was shocked when he saw such a huge amount being charged to him by UHBVN authorities when his consumption was so "low".

UHBVN, which has launched an inquiry into the incident, attributed the "blunder" to some technical problem in its newly-launched online billing software. "There appears to be some problem in the newly-launched online billing software system which could have led to the issuing of such a big amount of bill. We have started an inquiry into this incident," a senior UHBVN official told PTI.

UHBVN had "wrongly" shown a consumption of 19 crore energy units by Chautala, resulting to a Rs 132.29 crore electricity bill. Chautala's actual bill was of Rs 1,668.

"We have rectified the electricity bill which will be delivered to him (Chautala)," the officer said.

The inquiry initiated by UHBVN would also probe how the electricity bill escaped the eyes of its scrutiny staff before issuing to the customer, he added.

Image: The actual electricity bill of paan seller Rajesh Chautala was Rs 1,668. Photograph: @aashish81us/Twitter