KCR announced that citizens of Telangana need not pay excess power bills during the lockdown. Most of the people in both the Telugu states received exorbitant power bills during the pandemic. People are complaining that their power bills ran into thousands from hundreds without consumption.
Even though people have approached the electricity department officials and raised the complaint, they only received reckless replies stating that consumers must have expended more electricity owing to them staying at home because of lockdown. Most of the people have lost their jobs due to this pandemic and are unable to pay their rents and electricity bills. This plight has moved Telangana CM KCR which made him take a decision to order the electricity department to revise all the excess bills.
“I know that power consumption has increased during lockdown. At the same time, I have doubts whether the staff had even taken the bills in the first place or just imposing random bills”, said KCR in the assembly. This announcement brought a huge relief for people and many thanked KCR for his intervention.
Telangana Congress leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said that he got a bill of Rs.55000 thousand for three months. He said,“If this is the case with someone like me, imagine the terrible problems faced by the common man.” The Chief Minister replied that he will look into the issue and revise excess bills. KCR also raised the Centre’s new initiative to amend the Electricity Act of 2003 and opined that it will remove the State Government’s control over electricity billing for farmers and households. He suggested that the transmission and billing might also be taken over by the Centre to evade future subsidies given to states. He added that all the states in the country are opposing this amendment and TRS MPs will oppose this in the upcoming parliament sessions.
