By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Oct 29: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State Vice President and Tura MDC Bernard N. Marak has written to the Executive Engineer of the Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Limited (MPDCL) in Tura, seeking verification of what he termed as “unusually high” electricity bills for the BJP office in Tura despite minimal usage.
From Rs 3,533 in July and Rs 4,388 in August, the bills jumped to Rs 8,599 and Rs 12,269 in September and October respectively, Marak said.
In his letter, Marak stated that the party office had remained “largely inactive” in recent months as most activities were field-based, resulting in negligible use of electrical appliances such as lights, fans, and computers.
Despite this, he said, the bills issued reflected disproportionately high consumption, raising doubts about the accuracy of the smart meter readings.
Marak has requested the department to carry out an immediate verification of the smart meter installed at the BJP office and to furnish key technical details. This includes weekly consumption logs and automated data transmission records generated via the SIM embedded in the meter.
He also sought information on the SIM card’s service provider and configuration status, along with a comparative usage audit to determine any mismatch between actual consumption and billed units.
In addition, Marak requested that the current post-paid electricity connection be converted to a pre-paid system “to ensure transparency, prevent discrepancies, and avoid retrospective verification.”
The BJP leader urged the department to respond in writing and take prompt action to resolve the matter and facilitate clearance of any legitimate dues.
