In what comes as a shocking example of Dravidian model governance, a household in Ambattur, Chennai, was left stunned after receiving an electricity bill of ₹91,993 for the July billing cycle, a figure vastly exceeding their average bi-monthly bill of ₹1,500 to ₹2,000.
Nandakumar, a resident of Thiruvalleeswarar Nagar in Ambattur, reported the incident after receiving the bill, which claimed his household had consumed 8,370 units over two months. Typically, the household consumes around 450 units during that period.
According to Nandakumar, he immediately approached the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) office on 11th Main Road, Anna Nagar West, to lodge a complaint. EB officials acknowledged the issue and assured him that the matter would be investigated.
TNEB authorities stated that the meter reading has been sent for re-examination under the MRT (Meter Relay Testing) process. Preliminary observations suggest the bill may be the result of a meter reading error, an issue that has reportedly occurred in other isolated cases as well.
The incident comes at a time when residents across Tamil Nadu are already concerned about rising electricity tariffs. As per Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) norms, electricity tariffs are revised annually. The last hike of 4.8% was implemented in July 2024. This year, the TNEB has proposed another increase between 3% and 3.16%, citing debt levels and rising power generation costs.
(With inputs from News18 TN)
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