Pune Senior Citizen Receives Rs 10 Lakh Water Bill, PMC Yet to Respond
Pune Senior Citizen Receives Rs 10 Lakh Water Bill, PMC Yet to Respond
Pune: A 75-year-old resident of Pune was left in distress after receiving an exorbitant water bill of over Rs 10 lakh from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). The senior citizen, Govin Gore, has filed a complaint, but PMC has yet to provide an official response.
On March 3, Gore, a resident of Shaniwar Peth, was shocked to see a water bill of Rs 10,74,787 on his mobile phone. The bill, issued by PMC’s water tax department, was for the month of February.
Speaking to Indian Express about the incident, Gore said, “My blood pressure shot up after seeing the bill. I was so shocked that I thought I might suffer a heart attack.” His wife, who has heart-related issues, also experienced a surge in blood pressure upon seeing the amount.
Upon closer inspection, Gore realized that while the bill carried his mobile number, the name on it was different. “This means the PMC mistakenly sent me someone else’s bill,” he said. Gore, who has been using a half-inch water connection from PMC since 2012, noted that his monthly water bill has never exceeded Rs 125. “Receiving a bill of over Rs 10 lakh was beyond belief,” he added.
The senior citizen, who has no pension and an unemployed son, received another bill of Rs 127 on March 4, which he promptly paid. However, the PMC has yet to clarify the erroneous bill amounting to over Rs 10 lakh.
Gore visited the PMC office at Savarkar Bhavan on March 4 to submit a written complaint. After receiving no response, he attempted to meet the PMC commissioner at the civic headquarters on March 12 but was unable to do so. “Officials in the adjacent cabin told me not to worry and advised me to go home and rest. They mentioned that such errors occasionally happen but did not acknowledge any fault by civic employees,” he said.
Gore expressed concern over the impact of such errors on senior citizens. “Mistakes like these can put people’s lives at risk. In my case, the shock was overwhelming,” he added.
As of now, PMC has not issued any official clarification or rectification regarding the erroneous bill. The incident has raised concerns about billing errors and their impact on residents, particularly senior citizens.
Source : Indian Express
