Hyderabad: Online campaign over excess power bills

Hyderabad: Concerned over the exorbitant power bills post lockdown, Md Hameeduddin Farouqui, a resident of Mushreerabad, has started an online petition on change.org with a hope that the Chief Minister of Telangana, K Chandrashekar Rao, would address the issue and come up with a satisfactory solution, easing the issue of electricity bills by locals.

Considering the situation of Covid-19 and job losses in both organised and unorganised sectors, there is a huge disappointment among the people of Telangana at the imposition of exorbitant electricity bills which is three to ten times their usual electricity bills.

Locals are pleading with the Chief Minister to either waive off the bills for six months starting from March till September for the households who consume 400 units a month or charge a nominal amount (which was usual before March 2020).

Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TSSPDCL) has left citizens in a big agony. It generated bills for the last three months in one go, without taking into account the change in slab levels, with the result that some citizens received bills more than Rs 6,000 to 10,000.

Speaking to The Hans India, Md Hameeduddin Farouqui said, "Earlier, we used to receive around Rs 800 to Rs 1,200 electricity bills which has increased to Rs 6,000 now. With such a high amount our entire budget has changed and with no income, our condition has become horrible."

Zainab Begum, a resident of Chandrayangutta, said, "There was a time when I received electricity bills amounting to Rs 500 to Rs 700, which has now increased to Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500. At a time, when the government is bringing out various relief measures, they also need to give some relaxation in the electricity bills."