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Journalism of Courage
Last year in April, a woman in Delhi got the shock of her life when her water bill tumbled up to an enormous Rs 58,042. Cut to a year and more later, in a strikingly similar account (except for the amount shown on the bills), a man in Jamshedpur reportedly got an electricity bill of Rs 3,800 crore on August 13. BR Guha got the shock when electricity connection was disconnected from him home after he was handed the non-payment of the bill by the Jharkhand Electricity Board, according to ANI.
The Jamshedpur resident was surprised when he got to know the amount. He said they live in a house of three rooms, use three fans, three tube-lights and a TV. But can all that amount to such a huge bill, that is Guha’s question.
Ratna Biswas, Guha’s daughter, told ANI that her parents are ailing and felt helpless until the neighbour decided to intervene. “My mother is a sugar patient and my father has pressure. It was only after our neighbors intervened that we were able to do anything,” she said.
While this sure comes across as unusual, the family has decided to lodge a complaint against the Board, especially because the Board promptly cut their electricity connection.
Last year, when Leher Sethi received a Rs 58,042 water bill, she paid the bill and tweeted it out to Delhi Chief Minister Arvin Kejriwal. Minister of Water Kapil Mishra promptly responded to her complaint with the assurance that the money will be credited to her account immediately.
