Valakkavu: A house with only three light bulbs was shocked into darkness after receiving an electricity bill of Rs 5,567 in Kerala's Thrissur district in August. Temperatures soared for Girija, who lives in a tiny house with her ailing husband and daughter after their usual sum of Rs 90 was replaced by four-digits.
The house has no other electric equipment besides the three bulbs, which were restored with power only after Girija paid Rs 1,500 to the electricity department and assured to pay them the rest in instalments. The house received a power supply as part of the government's total electrification project but authorities from the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) have denied any error on their part in miscalculating the power tariff.
