Some residents of Bengaluru are puzzled and surprised as their monthly electricity bill displays a negative amount. While there are protests across the city due to high electricity bills, causing frustration among residents, another group is facing a different issue — they are confused by the appearance of negative amounts on their bills. According to the Times of India, consumers received bill amounts ranging from -500 to -4,500.
BESCOM officials have acknowledged that the negative bills are a result of a software error. A senior official from Bescom told TOI that the bills were generated for the current month using the revised rates established by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC). However, due to inadequate updates to the billing software, it employed outdated calculations, leading to the emergence of negative amounts. The official assured that the issue will be swiftly resolved by issuing corrected bills to the affected customers.
After receiving numerous complaints about substantial increases in electricity bills and with some consumers still awaiting their bills, BESCOM has faced public backlash. The situation worsened when a handwritten bill started circulating on social media, claiming a 50% tariff hike.
The bill compared the consumption charges for May and June, showing a significant rise in cost. BESCOM later discredited the bill as fraudulent and released a statement on Wednesday, June 14, warning consumers not to believe such assertions.