30 residents of Ekta Nagar on Senapati Bapat Road fight for rectification of exorbitant bills sent by MSEDCL
30 residents of Ekta Nagar on Senapati Bapat Road fight for rectification of exorbitant bills sent by MSEDCLUsed to getting monthly electricity bills of Rs 300 to Rs 500, residents of a MHADA colony were in for a huge shock when they received the bill for May. While some were asked to pay amounts like Rs 3,500 and Rs 5,000, others even saw the figure of Rs 10,000 on their bills. Thirty residents of Ekta Nagar, the MHADA colony in question, have had to pay the money asked for as MSEDCL officials allegedly refused to rectify the exorbitant bills immediately and even threatened to cut the power supply.u00a0Residents said some of the officials at MSEDCL were arguing that it was a computer fault which was likely to take time to rectify.
Power protest: Resident Anita Jadhav takes up the issue of faulty
billing with MSEDCL officialsLoan to pay bill
The residents said they were asked to first clear their bills, after which MSEDCL would look into their grievance. "There is no option but to pay the bill as I don't have time to fight with these officials. After all, I have a job to go to," said Ramesh Shinde, a resident of Ekta Nagar. Shinde received a bill of Rs 10,000 and had to take a loan to pay it.
Ekta Nagar residents say their usual electricity bills are between Rs 300
and Rs 500. Pics/Jignesh MistryMorcha planned
Anita Jadhav, a middle-aged resident of the colony, has decided to fight for all residents. She even went and argued with Deepak Lahamge, Deputy Executive Engineer in the Ganeshkhind MSEDCL Sub Division office.
"How can power supply of poor citizens be discontinued without listening to them?" she asked Lahamge.
She also brought to Lahamge's notice that some residents of Ekta Nagar had been receiving out-of-proportion bills foru00a0 three months.
She has now declared she will go to the MSEDCL office with a morcha supported by those who have paid the bills even though doing so was beyond their capacity. Tushar Bhalekar, another resident, said that he had received a bill that was the result of "totally wrong" meter reading. "Despite the fact that I showed them documentary proof, these officials are not ready even to listen me," he said.
Bhanudas Shinde, a police sub-inspector living in the society, received a bill of Rs 7,000. He said he had to pay the entire bill, which badly affected his monthly budget as he had to cut down on other domestic expenses.
The problem was not restricted to Ekta Nagar. Maqbool Shaikh from the nearby Gokhale Nagar received a bill of Rs 11,000, compared to the Rs 400 to 500 he otherwise pays every month. "It is difficult for me to pay this big amount, and now I am busy gathering the amount somehow," Shaikh said.
The Other SideDeepak Lahamge, Deputy Executive Engineer, MSEDCL, Ganeshkhind Branch, said that they will ensure that the bills are rectified. "I am checking on how such a difference can happen in the monthly bills. I shall also see if there was any fault in calculating the meter reading of these residents," he said.
