Lucknow, Aug. 10 -- Thousands of electricity consumers in Uttar Pradesh are facing a billing limbo, with more than 68,900 new connections currently awaiting their first bill across the state's power distribution companies. The backlog has persisted despite consumers securing connections through the government's Jhatpat and Nivesh Mitra digital portals. The Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad has flagged the issue with UPPCL authorities, warning of a widening gap between the release of new connections and the start of the billing cycle. A review of data from April 2025 to July 2026 found 67,449 cases pending for first-bill generation on the Jhatpat portal alone. The highest backlog was reported in Purvanchal, followed by Madhyanchal. Purvanchal has 22,277 pending cases, while Madhyanchal has 18,914, Dakshinanchal 12,749, Paschimanchal 12,080,Others have 1,429. Total 67,449 The issue extends to the Nivesh Mitra portal, which accounts for an additional 1,540 pending cases. Paschimanchal leads this backlog with 750 cases, followed by Dakshinanchal (380), Madhyanchal (362), Purvanchal (295) and KESCO (53). Consumer advocacy groups have expressed grave concern, noting that a large proportion of the affected individuals are smart-meter users. Shailendra Dubey, chairman of the All India Power Engineers Federation, highlighted the financial risk this delay poses to consumers. "Issuing a connection without generating the first bill within the prescribed period creates significant problems," Dubey said. "When billing is delayed for several months, consumers are eventually hit with a massive, lump-sum bill. This makes it difficult for them to verify their actual consumption or manage their finances." The situation raises questions regarding the integration of utility systems specifically the process linking connection approvals and meter installation to data capture and bill generation. A UPPCL official, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged the crisis, stating that the distribution companies must identify the root causes of the pending cases and ensure that consumers are not penalised for delays originating within the billing system....