Jhabua (Madhya Pradesh): Frustrated consumers staged a demonstration outside the power board office after their electricity connections remained disconnected despite paying outstanding bills on Thursday.
Electricity connections in various areas were disconnected due to pending bills without prior notice. However, many consumers, who had settled their dues, found that their electricity was still not restored.
This led them to the office on Power House Road, where they confronted employees about the situation. The employees, initially unaware of the issue, escalated the matter to the higher officials, including executive engineer Mahendra Panwar and assistant engineer Jitendra Kumar Vaghela.
According to Electricity Board assistant engineer Vaghela, the issue was attributed to a technical problem with the smart meters managed by the Smart Meter Cell in Indore. After the intervention of the higher authorities, connections were restored later.
The consumers also voiced their anger over the lack of prior notification regarding disconnections. Many have reported receiving unexpectedly high bills during the summer months, leading to confusion and dissatisfaction with the billing practices of the Madhya Pradesh Electricity Board (MPEB).
Additionally, there is a growing concern about extra fees imposed for reconnecting services after disconnection, which range from Rs 200 to Rs 300.
