It seems that the lockdown has not only increased the plight of the common man but also celebrities. Many celebrities in Mumbai took to social media to complain about their insane electricity bills.
Taapsee Pannu, Vir Das, Renuka Shahane, Dino Morea, and other celebrities took to Twitter to post about the electricity bill which has tripled in the month of June. The celebrities have joined in the recent rage against the soaring electricity bills in the city of Mumbai.
Actress Taapsee Pannu posted pictures of her electricity bills of the last three months and wrote,
“3 months of lockdown and I wonder what appliance I have newly used or brought in the apartment only last month to have such an insane rise in my electricity bill.”
3 months of lockdown and I wonder what appliance(s) I have newly used or bought in the apartment only last month to have such an insane rise in my electricity bill. @Adani_Elec_Mum what kind of POWER r u charging us for? pic.twitter.com/jZMMoxDMgj
— taapsee pannu (@taapsee) June 28, 2020
She posted another picture of the bill of an apartment where no one lives and expressed similar concerns of high prices. Comedian Vir Das also joined the bandwagon and said that his bill was triple of what he used to pay.
Actress Renuka Shahane also took to Twitter and wrote,
“Dear @AdaniElecMum I got a bill of Rs. 5,510 on the 9th of May while in June I got a bill of Rs. 29,700 combining May & June where you’ve charged me Rs. 18,080 for the month of May. How did Rs. 5,510 become Rs. 18,080?”
Dear @Adani_Elec_Mum I got a bill of Rs5510/= on the 9th of May while in June I got a bill of Rs 29,700 combining May & June where you've charged me Rs 18080 for the month of May. How did Rs.5510/= become Rs.18080/=? pic.twitter.com/64zlmNe8Qo
— Renuka Shahane (@renukash) June 28, 2020
Adani Group Responds
In most parts of the Mumbai city, the electricity is supplied by Adani, Tata, Mahavitaran, or Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd. (MSEDCL) and BEST. However, most of the outrage was against the Adani group. The group issued a statement which said,
“We have re-started physical meter reading which was temporarily halter since March because of COVID-19. Bills were generated on the lower side being an average of preceding three months i.e. Dec, Jan & Feb, which are winter months. Actual consumption in the months of Apr, May & June is comparatively higher due to seasonal impact (summer) and increased usage (the advent of lockdown/work from home). Now the consumers will start receiving the bills based on their actual consumption with appropriate tariff slab benefits. The bill amount for the past period shall be accounted for as per MERC guidelines.”
The state energy minister Nitin Raut also issued a statement and said that there is no cheating. He said,
“There is no cheating. In fact, MSEDCL too has suffered a loss of approximately 3,500 in absence of physical reading. People can check their bills online and avail to pay in installments. They don’t have to pay in a lump sum. We will not cut the power supply.”
Source: India Times
