Who said lightning never strikes same place twice?

While most Bangaloreans are complaining of load-shedding, a consumer got a huge shock from Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom); actually two huge shocks.

Recently, GR Engineering Ltd got an electricity bill of `1.91 lakh. The note with it read that the utility had been undercalculating the consumers’ power consumption for the past 25 years. The consumer then requested that the bill be rechecked.

After checking it, Bescom issued the corrected bill, worth Rs2.5 lakh.On behalf of GR Engineering Ltd, advocate Delvi said that in 1985, the company got an electricty connection for its residential property in Benson Town. After two years, it applied for additional power and sent a request to the erstwhile Karnataka Electricity Board.

As per the rules, additional electricity is provided at 15 times the cost.

Bescom has now sent the huge bill to Basavaraj, the caretaker of the house, contending that they had been providing additional power at the usual, low cost instead of its actual cost. Further, Delvi said the Bescom had changed the consumer’s meter to a commercial meter.

“The customer is unaware of such situations. In the bill, it [Bescom] has not reflected any of the arrears either. They sent the bill under ‘audit short claim’,” Delvi said.

“Bescom officials have apologised to the customer for billing him wrongly and then increased it by Rs1 lakh,” Delvi said.
Further, the advocate claims that the power supply company has not given the mandatory 15 days to the consumer to examine the bills.

“They have covered up their lapses, inefficiency and callous approach, exhibited arrogance of power,” Delvi said. He added that the Bescom refused to entertain requests by Basavaraj, who wanted a clarification about the bill. He asked if it was not the responsibility of the utility to furnish details to the consumer for his satisfaction.

Bescom managing director P Manivannan said such issues were common and no company could be ‘perfect’.
He said there might have been problems with the billing meter.
Manivannan said if electricity has been used, the consumer has to pay for it. “The only thing we can do is to adjust it in his bill from now on and it can be paid in instalments,” he said.