Chandigarh, March 29 -- Residents across Chandigarh have been raising concerns over inflated electricity bills since January this year, with complaints continuing to pour in from multiple sectors. Many consumers allege that despite repeatedly approaching authorities, their grievances remain unresolved and officials have failed to provide satisfactory explanations. The issue has gained prominence following the takeover of power distribution operations by Chandigarh Power Distribution Limited (CPDL), a private entity under the RPSG Group, which assumed charge from the Chandigarh administration on February 1, 2025. Lajwant Singh, a resident of Sector 36, said his average monthly bill used to be around Rs.8,000, but since January it had surged to Rs.18,000, even without using air-conditioners. "We approached the officials concerned, but did not receive a satisfactory response," he said. Another resident from the same sector, Sandeep Singh, reported receiving a bill of Rs.15,000 for just 20 days. "When I enquired, officials said there was a mistake by meter readers," he claimed. Similar concerns have been raised in other parts of the city. Rajeshwar Sharma, a resident of Sector 41, said his latest bill stood at Rs.11,000, significantly higher than his usual range of Rs.6,000-Rs.7,000. Narinder Sharma, secretary of the Indian Citizens' Forum, said the multiple complaints pointed to discrepancies in billing, including instances where old arrears had been added incorrectly. "The problem has surfaced only since January," he noted. Responding to the concerns, a CPDL spokesperson said in line with directions of the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC), the utility transitioned from a bi-monthly to a monthly billing cycle starting January 19, 2026. It added that meter readings were now being carried out using photo-based Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, eliminating manual entry errors. The company further said that bills previously issued on a provisional or average basis were now being generated based on actual meter readings. It also introduced pre- and post-billing audits to minimise discrepancies. CPDL maintained that the shift to monthly billing allowed consumers to monitor usage more closely and avoid the burden of higher cumulative bills typically associated with a 60-day cycle. Additionally, consumers can access duplicate bills and payment history via the CPDL portal or WhatsApp (92402-16666)....