People Below Poverty Line Get Electricity Bills Of This Amount In Odisha

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Bhubaneswar: People under BPL (Below Poverty Line) burnt an effigy of Odisha Energy Minister Dibya Shankar Mishra after receiving electricity bills of over ₹12,000 in Odisha’s Kalahandi on Monday.

According to the locals, they have used a single bulb and got a bill of ₹12,500. “I use one bulb and I received a bill of ₹12,500. How much does it cost to use a single bulb?” a local was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

“I am using one bulb. I can pay ₹300 to ₹500. How I will get ₹12,500 immediately and why will I pay for it? How much does it cost to light a bulb? In the time of the pandemic once they came and took ₹500 from me. Now after 5 to 6 months they came and are charging me ₹12,500,” a villager Karunakar Sagar said.

“I’m in BPL category and got this connection as per the Ujwala scheme. They have provided us only wire. No meter yet. I ask whether the energy minister is for rich people or poor people,” he added.

Two days ago, the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) had given go-ahead to the Annual Revenue Requirement and Tariff Order for the financial year 2021-22 and said the new tariff would be effective from April 4.

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