Mercury rises, power bills give parts of Pune a shocker

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“I understand summer means high energy consumption and high electricity bills. But the bill for April has been more than double the amount that I am generally charged,” said Chandan Mathrani from a society at Baner. “I pay approximately Rs 14,000 – Rs 15,000 every month but the electricity bill for April is Rs 37,000. This is shocking,” he said. What’s more, a majority of residents of the society have got inflated bills, he said, adding that they are writing a joint letter to the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited to resolve the issue at the earliest.

At Kondhwa too, residents have complained about inflated bills. For the last several years now, our electricity bill did not exceed Rs 3,000 to 4,000 —even during the peak summer months. Now, since last two months, the energy bill has tripled. In March, it was Rs 9,500 and in April, it is Rs 10,000. On asking the MSEDCL officials at Kondhwa, we were told that the energy bill will be high if there are ACs in the house. My point is the AC has been there for several years and our usage of energy is same, Tasneem Nalwala, a resident of NIBM road asked.

Ramakant Sahane, a resident of Sahawas Road, has received an inflated bill for April. “I get a bill of Rs 300. Now, it is Rs 700. I have basic necessities at home – a refrigerator, table fan and tubelight,” he said.