MP: BPL families complain over inflated electricity bills in Bhopal

Hundreds of families under the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category are in anger over the hike in electricity bills and for not getting the benefit of Sambal Yojana.

"We are getting charged excessively," said S Lokhande, a BPL family member. "We were supposed to be charged Rs 200 a month, but we are being charged more than Rs 900."

Indra Sahare, who lives in a small room with her two children, said she used to pay Rs 200. "But after the new government came, the bill is as high as Rs 2,520. When I approached officials of the electricity department, they said I will have to pay."

However, State Energy Minister Priyavrat Singh said authorities will soon initiate a probe into the matter.

Madhya Pradesh Government has Sambal Yojana, an outstanding power bill waiver scheme and subsidised power scheme for labourers and poor families. Under the scheme, BPL families and registered labourers of the unorganised sector are provided electricity at a cost of Rs 200 per month.

The objective is to provide power to all households in the state.