Anantapur: Parvathappa, a 60-year-old agricultural worker, struggles to make ends meet. Three lights, a fan, and a portable TV are all he has in his modest house in Palthuru village, Urvakonda Mandal, Anantapur district. He has no additional electrical or electronic equipment. He experienced the shock of his life when he received a 1.48 lakh power bill in April of this year. His monthly cost had never exceeded 300 rupees and was always between 200 and 280 rupees.

He's been visiting the AP Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL) headquarters since then, attempting to convince them that something went wrong. The firm issued him a new charge of Rs. 56,399 on Friday. The officials stated that the charge had been lowered and that Parvathappa should pay the revised amount.

Another agricultural labourer, Bandaiah, also received a 78,167 monthly electricity bill two months ago and a 16,251 charge recently. Both of them told the media about their situation and asked how the power service could make such a mistake.

"We are poor farm labourers. For us, even paying a bill of 300 is a huge burden. The electricity department should rectify its mistakes," they demanded.

Upon being contacted, APSPDCL official Srinivasulu Reddy stated that the problem has been reported and that the power metres in Parvathappa and Bandaiah have been transferred to Guntakal for examination.

"We have also asked the accounts department to once again look into their accounts for any errors which may have resulted in high bills," he said.