Himachal businesswoman stunned by ₹210 cr electricity bill – Tap to know what happened next

Lalit Dhiman, a small-scale businesswoman from Beherwin Jattan village in Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur district, was shocked when she received an electricity bill for December 2024 amounting to ₹210,42,08,405. Dhiman, who operates a concrete brick manufacturing business, typically pays around ₹2,500 for her monthly electricity consumption. Upon receiving the exorbitant bill, Dhiman filed a complaint with the local electricity board for clarification.

Following a thorough investigation, officials confirmed that the enormous bill was due to a "technical glitch" in the system. The issue stemmed from an erroneous meter reading, where two extra digits—1 and 0—were mistakenly added to the actual consumption. The inflated bill amount was rectified, and after reassessment, the corrected bill was issued for ₹4,047, which matched the businesswoman's actual electricity usage.

Anurag Chandel, the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of the Bhoranj Electricity Board, confirmed that the error was due to a wrong meter reading taken by the concerned staff. He assured that the issue was promptly resolved after Dhiman brought it to their attention. The revised bill reflected a consumption of 836 units of electricity. The board emphasized that the glitch was an isolated incident and would not affect future bills.

This incident is part of a larger pattern of billing errors. A similar case occurred in Gujarat’s Valsad in November 2024, where Muslim Ansari, a tailor, was mistakenly billed ₹86.41 lakh for his shop’s electricity usage. The error was also traced back to an incorrect meter reading, where extra digits were added, leading to an inflated bill. Once the mistake was identified, the bill was revised to ₹1,540, a much more accurate figure based on his usual consumption.

These billing errors underscore the critical importance of accurate meter readings and timely corrections by electricity providers. Given that both incidents involved significant overcharges due to technical faults, the power distribution companies have emphasized the need for more careful monitoring of readings to avoid such errors in the future. As utility companies serve millions of customers, maintaining accurate billing systems is essential to prevent unnecessary financial stress for consumers.