Team Herald
Panjim: Worried over the alleged inflated electricity bills, the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee along with the Calangute locals on Friday demanded that the government waives off the charges of two months bills issued to them during the lockdown.
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The office bearers of GPCC gheraoed the Calangute Electricity Department and confronted the official over the alleged inflated electricity bills issued to the public.
The Calangute locals claimed that all this while they used to receive bills per month. However, during the lockdown they received electricity bills of three months altogether with triple the actual amount.
“Due to COVID-19 pandemic, we don’t have proper source of income since the tourism business is suffering and so paying of bills with such huge amounts is not possible for us,” they further disclosed.
GPCC Vice-President Sankalp Amonkar said,” We confronted the official by bringing to the notice of the authorities about the inflated electricity bills of two months, which the people received during the lockdown. There a mistake made in calculating the units. We have asked the official to report to his higher authorities about the demand made to waive off the electricity bills of two months on the lines of what the government of other States such as Kerala and New Delhi have done.”
Amonkar further gave the example of a consumer who usually receives bills of Rs 1,500, but has now received a bill amounting to
Rs 18,000 to Rs 19,000. “People in Calangute are totally dependent on tourism and given how the business is currently, how can the government expect people to pay bills of such huge amounts,” he asked.
Goa Congress General Secretary Amarnath Panjikar said,” People have received inflated bills when there is no proper income. The money with the government has, is of the taxpayers, which they should use to adjust and clear the bills. There is the PM Relief Fund and CM Relief Fundm, which the government should utilise and serve the people during this pandemic situation.”
