Residents in rural areas of Nashik are once again grappling with the consequences of poor management by the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), commonly known as 'Mahavitaran'. Numerous consumers in rural and taluka areas have been receiving electricity bills that far exceed their usual charges.
A prevailing issue is the apparent negligence of private agencies tasked with billing consumers, resulting in erroneous bill distributions and undue financial burdens on ordinary citizens. Despite attempts by consumers to address the inflated bills and seek reductions, they encounter unresponsive offices, often closed during regular hours.
Kiran Ghode, a resident from the Gonde MIDC region, highlighted the plight faced by common citizens who are forced to make repeated visits to Mahavitaran offices to rectify the billing discrepancies. Consumers are subjected to a bureaucratic maze, where requests for bill reductions are met with demands for previous bills, attributing errors to meter malfunctions, and bureaucratic processes for meter replacements, with no assurance of bill reduction.
Another concerning practice is the advice given to consumers to defer bill payments until discrepancies are resolved, resulting in overdue bills and subsequent disconnections by Mahavitaran. When consumers question the disconnection, they are met with additional charges for reconnection, compounding their financial strain.
