BY TC News Desk
Agartala, 26th March 2026: A serious allegation of overbilling has surfaced against the electricity office in Jampuijala under Sepahijala district, raising fresh concerns over irregularities in power billing practices in the state.
According to reports, Sushanta Sarkar, a financially struggling farmer from Raypara ADC Village in Jugalkishorenagar, had taken a new electricity connection a few years ago after building his home. He claims that instead of installing a new meter, electricity department staff fitted a previously used meter at his residence.
Sarkar said he had questioned the officials at the time about whether using an old meter could cause any issues. However, he was reportedly assured that there would be no problem.
Shockingly, in the very first month after the connection, he received an electricity bill exceeding ₹15,000. Upon further inquiry, Sarkar discovered that the meter installed in his house already had a large amount of unpaid dues from a previous user, which had now been added to his account.
When he approached the Jampuijala electricity office for clarification, officials allegedly informed him that he would have to clear the outstanding dues linked to the meter.
Despite his poor financial condition, Sarkar managed to pay part of the amount over time, but more than ₹12,000 still remains unpaid. It has been reported that a new meter was recently installed at his residence.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Sarkar expressed strong resentment, calling the incident a deliberate tactic by the electricity department to exploit ordinary consumers. He has appealed to the state’s power minister to intervene and cancel the dues that do not belong to him.
As a marginal farmer, he stated that bearing someone else’s electricity bill is beyond his capacity. The incident has once again brought attention to alleged irregularities in electricity billing, and it remains to be seen how quickly the concerned authorities respond to the complaint.
