Woman in a tiny shed received an electricity bill of Rs 1 lakh

A 90-year-old woman living in a tiny shed in Karnataka’s Koppal received a Rs 1 lakh electricity bill despite having “only three bulbs” in her residence. Girijamma, a Bhagyanagar resident, claimed she used to get a monthly electricity bill of Rs 70-80 and was astonished to discover the bill from Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company Limited (GESCOM) for Rs 1.03 lakh. I only have three light bulbs in my residence, and my costs never exceed Rs 80. But this time I got Rs 1 lakh,” she told the journalists. GESCOM responded to the viral tweet displaying the incorrect bill by saying it would fix the problem.

According to Power Minister K J George, the exaggerated charge was caused by a metre malfunction, and Girijamma was not required to pay the amount. Following the minister’s announcement, GESCOM officers rushed to Girijamma’s shed. Rajesh, the executive engineer, examined the power metre and confirmed that the excessive charge was due to an incorrect metre reading. He informed Girijamma that she was not needed to pay the fee, and she expressed gratitude to the officer and the media.