South Bihar Power Distribution Company Ltd. Scamming Commercial Consumers with Unjust Charges and Bribes

I wanted to share an ongoing scam happening in Bihar by the South Bihar Power Distribution Company Ltd. (SBPDCL) that has been frustrating and disheartening.

I run a business and have a commercial electricity connection. For the past few months, SBPDCL has been adding "capacitor charges" to my electricity bill—an additional ₹500+ most of the time. Initially, they charged this sporadically (2-3 times a year), and I ignored it. But now, it has become a recurring monthly charge.

When I approached the electricity department to inquire about this charge, they gave vague and conflicting reasons. First, they claimed it was an "extra charge for using electricity," which made no sense. When I insisted on more details, they admitted it was because they were "losing money." I pay my bills on time, never delay payments, and have done nothing wrong, so why am I being penalized? Instead of addressing my concerns, they told me to leave the office.

I also spoke with the meter reader, who outright suggested I pay him a bribe to get the issue resolved. This was shocking but sadly not surprising. The culture of bribery in this organization is rampant. Even when I applied for this commercial connection, it took over 10 days for them to respond, and they demanded bribes at every stage—just to move papers, to fix the connection, everything!

This has made me question the morality and ethics of these officials. How can they treat people like this? I’m from a middle-class family and can afford to pay my bills (despite these unjust charges), but what about the people from poorer backgrounds? How do they survive in a system that’s designed to exploit them?

It feels like this system is deliberately pushing honest people toward desperation. Why should I have to deal with bribery and overcharging just to access basic services like electricity?

Has anyone else faced this issue with SBPDCL or other power companies in Bihar? How can we fight this exploitation? I’m tired of being extorted by a system that’s supposed to serve us.