Bescom meter readers who issue bills are being driven out of some areas of Karnataka as a result of Congress's big election pledge to provide 200 units of free electricity to every family each month if it won the election. This comes after party leader DK Shivakumar urged supporters to stop paying their electricity bills as of June 1 in a pre-election call.
In Chitradurga, where he had gone to read the energy meter and collect arrears, a Bescom employee encountered the wrath of the locals. On Monday, a video of the individuals yelling at him and shooing him out went viral.
The event was reported from Jaalikatte in the Bescom-administered Chitradurga district.
Bill collectors are struggling as a result of the majority that Congress gained in the elections. "During the first two weeks of each month, our meter readers come to every home to record readings and deliver invoices. However, in Jaalikatte, the residents not only prevented the reader from going inside the homes, but they also refused to pay, according to a Bescom executive engineer.
The meter reader was questioned by locals in the now-viral video who said, "Congress has won a majority and will shortly implement all commitments, including free power. Why are you visiting the community and giving us cash? Despite the meter reader's attempts to persuade the villagers that it will only take effect after an official government decree, they engaged in verbal combat.
Bescom director (technical) Ramesh denied that meter readers were mistreated, but said that villagers would not let the meter reader into their homes. Such disputes will inevitably arise, according to officials. On social media, many people watched an edited version of DK Shivakumar's speech in which he predicted that Congress will win the election and that everyone could cease paying their electricity bills as of June 1.
The financial ramifications of the Gruha Jyothi initiative have also come under scrutiny. According to MG Prabhakar, chairman of the FKCCI energy committee, the burden is higher than the estimated cost, notwithstanding Congress's assertion that the program will cost Rs 7,000 crore annually.
According to the expert, the state has 1.9 crore households, and if 200 units are given out for free each month, 3,845 million units will be consumed. At Rs 8.75 per unit, the monthly cost would be Rs 3,367 crore, and the annual cost would be Rs 44,404 crore, according to an official. "The required amount would be around Rs 20,000 crore per year if half of the households were to receive free power," he continued.
