⚡️ Administrative Tyranny: Mirzapur Electricity Department’s Arbitrary Billing Practices

The practice of arbitrary billing in Mirzapur district in the Department of Electricity is quite rampant, leading to widespread frustration among local residents who often find themselves facing inflated and inaccurate charges.
This systemic issue not only undermines public trust in the electricity department but also places an undue financial burden on families struggling to make ends meet.
Many have reported instances of receiving bills that lack clarity and justification, which complicates their ability to contest such charges effectively.
As a result, there is an urgent need for reform in billing practices to ensure transparency, accountability, and fair treatment for all consumers in the region.

Unjustified and Excessive Bills: A Consumer’s Nightmare

The experience of Shri Lalit Mohan Kasera in Mirzapur highlights a significant failure in the local electricity department’s (EDD II Mirzapur) operations, revealing a pattern of arbitrary billing that contradicts principles of good governance and consumer fairness. Despite the connected premises being unoccupied and the consumer, Smt. Neelam Devi, making regular small payments (around ₹281–₹282 in Oct and Nov 2024), the department abruptly issued an inflated bill.

The core of the issue is the sudden and drastic surge in the bill:

• Previous Monthly Bill: Approximately ₹300.
• Arbitrary Bill Issued: ₹10,995 (payable by December 2024), which later surged to a total of ₹14,000.
• The Crux: This enormous increase was applied even though the premises were vacant, clearly indicating an incorrect billing basis.

The complainant rightly labels this practice as an act of “administrative tyranny” and a “mockery of the law.”

Departmental Negligence: The Missing Meter

The grievance process has revealed a critical failure on the part of the Electricity Department itself, which is directly responsible for the arbitrary billing: the lack of an installed electricity meter.

Account No.	Consumer Name	Division
2521372000	NEELAM DEVI	EDD II MIRZAPUR

Official Departmental Response (Dated 24/12/2024):

The Executive Engineer, Manish Kumar Srivastava, acknowledged the issue in response to a prior grievance (GOVUP/E/2024/0093661), stating:

“The bill for connection No. 2521372000 could not be revised because a meter is not installed on the said connection. A letter has been sent to the Executive Engineer, Electrical Testing Division, Jangi Road, Mirzapur, to install a meter… The electricity bill will be revised based on average consumption one month after the meter is installed.”

The complainant argues that if the department fails to install and maintain a proper meter, the resulting billing anomaly is their responsibility, not the consumer’s.

The Re-Grievance: A Cycle of Frustration

The consumer’s follow-up grievance (GOVUP/E/2025/0013079, dated 07/02/2025) highlights the ongoing state of confusion and burden:

• The applicant has been paying a small, recurring bill for an unoccupied property to avoid the “cumbersome proceedings” and a “huge amount” that the department might charge upon reconnection if the line were disconnected.
• The applicant welcomes the decision to install a meter, but questions the logic: “If the applicant is not living at that place how will the electricity metre will show the reading?” This suggests the consumer expects the reading to reflect the zero consumption of an unoccupied house.
• The key demand remains: Rectify the illegal, huge bill immediately and install the meter as promised.

Conclusion: A Call for Accountability and Transparency

This case serves as a stark example of how administrative negligence (failing to install a meter) directly leads to consumer hardship (issuing an inflated, arbitrary bill). For a department to issue a bill of nearly ₹11,000 on a connection that has been paying ₹300 monthly, and confirm that the billing is flawed because no meter exists, is a clear violation of basic service principles.

The Electricity Department in Mirzapur must:

1. Immediately rectify the outstanding bill (Account No. 2521372000) to reflect a legitimate charge for an unoccupied premises, which was previously being paid regularly.
2. Expedite the installation of the electricity meter as committed.
3. Ensure that subsequent billing is strictly based on the actual meter readings, maintaining transparency and fairness.

Such practices undermine consumer trust and must be halted to uphold the principles of good governance.

Here are the contact details and web links for the key personnel and departments involved in the grievance:

🏛️ Government Grievance Officials

These details are for the officers in the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, Uttar Pradesh, responsible for handling the overall grievance redressal.

Official Name	Designation	Contact Details	Email Address
Shri Arvind Mohan	Joint Secretary, CM Secretariat, Uttar Pradesh	Contact Number: 0522-2226350 (Based on the grievance text)	Jansunwai/Portal Email: jansunwai-up@gov.in (For general portal queries/info, not for direct complaints)
Chief Minister’s Office (CMO)	Secretariat Office	Contact Number: 0522-2289017, 2289010	Email: cmup@nic.in (For suggestions/general correspondence)

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💡 Electricity Department (PuVVNL)

The relevant power company for Mirzapur is Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PuVVNL).

Mirzapur Local Officials

Official Name	Designation/Division	Mobile Number	Email Address
Manish Kumar Srivastava	Executive Engineer, EDD II Mirzapur	9450963598	ee.2mirzapur@puvvnl.in
Chief Engineer, Mirzapur Region	Mirzapur Region	9450963509	ce.mirzapur@puvvnl.in

PuVVNL Central Contacts

Designation	Contact Number	Email Address
Managing Director, PuVVNL	0542-2318437	md@puvvnl.in
Consumer Helpline (Toll-Free)	1912	1912@pvvnl.org

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🌐 Web Links and Grievance Portals

It is highly recommended to lodge and track all official complaints through the dedicated online portals.

Description	Web Link	Notes
Uttar Pradesh Public Grievance (Jansunwai) Portal	https://jansunwai.up.nic.in/	This is the primary portal for your complaint (GOVUP/E/2025/0013079 is registered here).
Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd. (PuVVNL) Official Site	https://puvvnl.in/	The official website for the electricity distribution company.
UPPCL (1912) Complaint Registration	Search for “UPPCL 1912 Complaint Registration” or use the 1912 number.	This is the dedicated portal and call-in service for electricity consumer complaints in Uttar Pradesh.
UP CMO Key Contacts	https://upcmo.up.nic.in/key_contacts.htm	Official directory of the Chief Minister’s Office.

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If you would like to move forward, I can help you draft a concise letter or reminder for the Jansunwai portal using the latest registration number (GOVUP/E/2025/0013079) and clearly stating your dissatisfaction with the department’s closure of the prior case.