By ARUN PRATAP SINGH
DEHRADUN, 10 May: A power consumer from Dehradun has claimed that a major billing error in Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL). Consumer Advocate Deepak Bhatia has registered a formal complaint in this regard with UPCL Headquarters at Kanwali Road here, pointing towards serious discrepancies in electricity billing, neglect of consumer grievances, and financial injustice to the public.
Deepak Bhatia in his complaint has alleged in the February 2025 electricity bill, the amount for January-which he had already paid-was added again, along with a late payment charge. Furthermore, the rebate usually given for timely payment was not provided due to this error. When Bhatia tried to register his complaint on the UPCL 1912 helpline on March the helpline staff refused to take his complaint, forcing him to submit a written application, of which he has the call recording as evidence.
In response to his application, UPCL has informed him that this issue did not affect him alone only, but a total of 5,097 consumers. Out of these, 2,191 consumers were refunded in April, while the remaining 2,906 will receive their refunds in May.
Bhatia has now raised a pertinent question. He says when a consumer pays his/her bill even a day late, UPCL charges 15 per cent annual interest. By the same token, when the company defaults and holds back consumers’ money for two months, it returns only the principal amount without any interest for the delayed period. He demanded that all affected consumers should be given not just the principal amount but also two months’ interest, as per the same rules UPCL mentions in its bills.
Bhatia further asserted that, as a practicing lawyer himself, he is willing to provide free legal assistance to any consumer in Dehradun who has received an extra bill from UPCL due to a mistake or technical error.
The incident not only exposes technical and administrative lapses in UPCL but also highlights the need for greater transparency and consumer rights protection. Consumer experts say that in such cases, complaints can also be lodged with the National Consumer Helpline or the appropriate consumer forums.
