Elderly man gets whopping Rs 80 Crore power bill, lands in Hospital with high BP

Elderly man gets whopping Rs 80 Crore power bill, lands in Hospital with high BP

Mangalore Today News Network / Yahoo

Mumbai, Feb 27, 2021:     Ganpat Naik, an 80-year-old resident of Nalasopara town in Maharashtra, recently landed in a hospital with high blood pressure reportedly after receiving an electricity bill worth nearly Rs 80 crore. The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) took cognizance of the matter and corrected the electricity bill. The whopping amount mentioned in the bill was the result of a clerical error.

Ganpat Naik, a heart patient, was left stunned when he received a power bill amounting to nearly Rs 80 crore on February 22. Seeing the exorbitant amount, his blood pressure rose, according to a India Today report. Eventually, he had to be taken to a hospital for medical check-up. Naik’s grandson, Niraj, told the news channel that they were "shocked" to see the amount mentioned on the bill.

"At first, I thought they have sent us the entire district’s bill. We rechecked and it was only our bill. We got scared because the electricity board has started recovering dues and arrears from everyone for the lockdown period," Niraj was quoted as saying. After the news about the Rs 80 crore-power bill spread like a wildfire in the area, the MSEDCL sent an official to correct the bill.

An MSEDCL official, Surendra Morene, said that the error was on part of the agency that takes meter reading. "The agency had made a bill of nine digits instead of six digits. While we were rerunning the bill and making corrections, the agency went on and issued the bill to Naik. We have studied their electricity meter and given them a fresh bill of six digits. They are satisfied now," he said. Naik, who runs a rice mill in Nirmal village of Nalasopara town, is fine.