RS Bali raises issue of wrong Electricity bill figures in assembly, Seeks action against erring officials

Shimla, Aug 21,

Himachal Pradesh Assembly witnessed a heated debate during the Zero Hour on Wednesday after HP Tourism Development board Vice Chairman and MLA from Nagrota RS Bali got the house attention to “wrong figures” of his electricity bill being presented in the House.

Bali said that in response to a question related to electricity bill subsidies, it was incorrectly shown that his bill for 14 months amounted to Rs 6.78 lakh. “My actual bill was nowhere near that figure, yet such wrong information was put before the House and later circulated on social media,” he said.

Pointing out that such discrepancies tarnish credibility, Bali demanded two things — first, that incorrect data presented in the Assembly should be rectified, and second, action must be taken against officials responsible for releasing misleading figures.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu clarified the matter, saying the bills of ministers are issued by the electricity department but payments are made through the PWD. “In this case, PWD mistakenly added arrears to the actual bill, which inflated the figure from Rs 1.68 lakh to Rs 6.78 lakh. Even in my case, a wrong bill of Rs 3.76 lakh for 14 months was shown, whereas the actual payable amount was Rs 1.47 lakh,” the CM admitted.

Sukhu assured that the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB) has completed rectification and all arrears have been adjusted. He added that if any deliberate mischief was done in presenting wrong figures, responsibility would be fixed.

Taking cognizance of the matter, Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania directed that the issue be cross-examined, terming it a “serious lapse” that should not be repeated.