DMK president M.K. Stalin on Friday urged the state government to ensure the reader of meter for electricity consumption in Tamil Nadu is carried out accurately.

In a statement, he alleged, “Ever since TVK came to power, there have been continuous issues with electricity. First, it was power outages; now, it is the [inflated] electricity bills. The government has been forced to admit that 3.70 lakh families have complained about excess billing. Looking at the public outcry on social media, it is clear that the actual number of affected people could be several times higher.”

He urged the deadline for paying electricity bills be extended until these discrepancies are investigated and resolved, and that the government must ensure electricity consumption readings are done properly in the future.

In response, Minister for Energy Resources and Law R. Nirmalkumar contended the information provided by the former Chief Minister was incorrect and claimed Mr Stalin made those comments relying solely on WhatsApp messages.

During an interaction with the media, he said, “Reports circulated on social media claiming electricity bills were unusually high for a few people. Based on that, only routine checks are currently underway. We are examining how much the bills have increased this year compared to last year. Last summer, around 11,50,000 people saw a threefold increase in their electricity bills. This year, that increase applies to only 9,60,000 people. Compared to last year, the number of people facing higher bills is lower by two lakhs. Nevertheless, we are conducting routine inspections as usual. There have been no 3,70,000 complaints as claimed. He (Mr Stalin) should not confuse the public unnecessarily.”