Pune residents are troubled by malfunctioning electricity meters, which have caused bills to rise sharply compared to previous months. While some residents complain that the old meters were overcharging, others allege that even the newly installed meters are showing inflated readings.
Deepak Waghmare, a resident near Nilayam Bridge, speaking to The Free Press Journal, said, “When the old electricity meter was installed, usually the bill was between ₹400 to ₹700. However, it has increased to more than ₹1,000 for the last three months despite the same usage. After multiple complaints, they gave us a discount. However, I have applied again to change the meter.”
Prafulla Patel, a resident of Gangadham, said, “MSEB employees talk rudely if we complain about the faulty meter. Earlier, my bill was approximately ₹700 to ₹800, but it has now been hiked up to ₹3,000. We cannot accept this as normal.”
Another resident, on the basis of anonymity, revealed, “If we ask the employees to check the meter, they demand money in return.”
Meenal Joshi, another resident, expressed similar frustration. She said, “When we complained earlier, we were told that the old meters had become faulty. But even after getting a new meter, the bill has gone up. How can both the meters be wrong? This is nothing but harassment of consumers and a modus operandi to extort money from consumers.”
Meanwhile, Vikas Puri, PRO of MSEDCL, speaking to The Free Press Journal, said, “A dedicated lab has been installed in each division. If any citizens have doubts over the functioning of the meter, they can get it checked there.”
