TNUHDB complex residents shocked after receiving EB bills up to Rs 30,000

CHENNAI: Tension prevailed at Thailavaram Tamil Nadu Urban Habitat Development Board’s (TNUHDB) housing complex in Guduvancherry on Tuesday after residents, who were recently relocated from Anagaputhur, received high electricity bills up to Rs 30,000.

In May this year, the PWD evicted around 450 families residing along the Anagaputhur riverbank citing waterbody encroachments.

After this, the TNUHDB allotted them apartments under Phase 1 of the Guduvanchery Thailavaram Housing Scheme. After moving there, for the past three months, residents had not received electricity reading cards.

On Tuesday, officials from the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board visited the apartment and distributed the reading cards. Residents were shocked to find arrears and penalty charges on the bills with amounts starting from Rs 4,500 and going up to Rs 30,000 for some houses.

Following that, hundreds of residents gathered at the spot and staged a protest, gheraoed the TNEB’s assistant engineer and demanded an immediate rollback of the inflated bills. “We moved here just 3 months ago. How can we pay Rs 30,000? If the issue is not resolved, we’ll return to the Anagaputhur riverbank and rebuild our huts,” said one of the residents.

Following the protest, the Guduvanchery police team arrived at the spot and held peace talks with the protestors. The authorities assured them that excessive charges may have resulted from billing errors and promised to discuss the issue with higher electricity board officials.

Residents have also decided to submit a petition to the Chengalpattu district collector.