Jammu, Oct 4: Jammu and Kashmir’s electricity distribution system is facing a significant number of consumer complaints over incorrect, disproportionate and unusually high bills, with 13,104 billing and metering complaints registered during the current financial year up to August.
According to official data, around Rs 9.19 crore has been refunded or adjusted against these complaints, while 2,170 cases remain pending.
The data covers electricity divisions in both the Jammu and Kashmir regions and highlights the scale of consumer grievances related to billing and metering.
Kashmir Records Over 7,300 Complaints
The Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) recorded 7,341 complaints related to billing and metering during Financial Year 2026-27 up to August.
An amount of Rs 6,17,81,556 was refunded or adjusted following verification, while 1,748 complaints remained pending.
In the Jammu region, 12 electricity divisions recorded 5,763 complaints during the same period over incorrect or disproportionate electricity bills.
Of these, Rs 3,01,26,339 was refunded or adjusted, while 422 cases were pending.
Complaints Also Remained High In 2025-26
The figures follow a substantial number of complaints recorded during the previous financial year.
The 12 Jammu electricity divisions registered 18,532 complaints in FY 2025-26. These included 10,583 cases related to incorrect meters, 766 involving faulty meters and 7,183 billing-related complaints.
A total of Rs 5,56,26,043 was refunded or adjusted in Jammu during the year, with 253 cases pending.
In Kashmir, electricity divisions recorded 3,951 complaints during FY 2025-26, involving refunds or adjustments of Rs 1,32,21,853.
Together, Jammu and Kashmir recorded 22,483 complaints in FY 2025-26, compared with 13,104 complaints in the first five months of the current financial year up to August.
The total amount refunded or adjusted stood at approximately Rs 6.88 crore in FY 2025-26, compared with Rs 9.19 crore in FY 2026-27 up to August.
Questions Over Recurring Billing Errors
The large number of complaints has raised questions over whether the existing corrective mechanisms are adequately addressing the underlying causes of billing and metering problems.
Sources said the recurring nature of complaints involving incorrect meter readings, faulty meters and billing errors indicates that the issue may extend beyond isolated cases.
The Government has maintained that complaints received through electricity sub-divisions, IT and communication divisions and other channels are verified before necessary corrections are made in the billing system.
However, the continued appearance of similar complaints has prompted concerns over possible weaknesses in meter reading, data entry, meter maintenance, consumer indexing, billing software, field verification and supervisory checks.
Sources suggested that a detailed audit of recurring complaint categories, division-wise trends, meters generating repeated complaints and the time taken to resolve grievances could help identify systemic shortcomings.
With 2,170 complaints still pending in the current financial year, the data underscores the need to examine not only how individual billing errors are corrected, but also why similar problems continue to affect consumers across the region.
