The Haryana Right to Service (RTS) Commission has criticised power distribution practices in the state, calling recent instances of unexpectedly high electricity bills a clear case of administrative negligence by the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN). The panel underlined serious shortcomings in billing procedures that have burdened consumers with excessive charges.
In one case from Bahadurgarh, a consumer who had gone without proper billing for an extended period or received negative bills was suddenly presented with an electricity bill of around ₹2.38 lakh. The commission said standard billing protocols, including prior notice and adherence to time frames as required under the Electricity Supply Code, were not followed, leading to confusion and hardship for the consumer.
As a result, the RTS panel imposed ₹5,000 fines on two officials responsible for the incorrect entries and directed that they each pay ₹1,000 as compensation to the affected consumer. It also ordered additional compensation of ₹500 for each incorrect billing cycle dating back to July 2022, with the distribution company initially funding this and potentially recovering it later from those at fault.
In another instance from Hisar district, the commission highlighted a case where long-term average billing led to sudden bills showing abnormally high consumption — one account showed around 45,000 units and another about 20,000 units, resulting in bills exceeding ₹3 lakh and ₹98,000 respectively. The panel described the financial burden as unwarranted and a source of severe stress for the consumer.
In both cases, the commission noted that consumers were not given the mandatory minimum period of 30 days for payment, nor were they informed properly before the high bills were issued, which violates provisions in the Electricity Supply Code. The RTS panel has called on power utility leaders to develop clearer policies to prevent similar issues and improve consumer grievance redressal going forward.
