Lahore Family Forced to Live Without Electricity for Over a Month Due to Rs. 66,000 Bill

Lahore:A heartbreaking story has emerged from Misri Shah, Lahore, where a low-income family has been living without electricity for nearly 45 days due to an unaffordable electricity bill amounting to Rs. 66,000.

A video circulating on social media shows an elderly woman, known as “Maan Ji,” in emotional distress, speaking to a reporter about the dire conditions her family is facing during the extreme summer heat. “Sometimes I pray that I die in my sleep, but my son doesn’t even have money for a burial,” she wept. “He is my only son. Please help us.”

Her son, visibly overwhelmed, explained the impossible choice he faces daily. “I have small children. Should I work or fan them by hand? I haven’t even had breakfast today. There’s nothing to cook, nothing to eat,” he said. He earns around Rs. 1,500-2,000 per day, which barely covers medicine and food for his children.

The family has resorted to using hand fans and occasionally sitting outside during rain to find relief. “We sleep without fans in this scorching heat. There’s no other way,” said Maan Ji. “I feel ashamed even sitting outside, but what else can we do? Only God is our witness.”

Adding to the family’s burdens, they are also planning a wedding in three months and are unable to meet the basic expenses. The son revealed, “My daughter’s marriage is planned, but I don’t even have enough for daily food. The groom’s family is pressuring us for a date. We’re begging them to wait.”

Other residents also reported outrageously high bills. One man named Raju claimed he received a bill of Rs. 110,000 despite using only Rs. 400 worth of electricity, stating that excessive taxes and billing errors are to blame.

The reporter, visibly shocked, appealed to the Punjab Government, Federal Government, opposition leaders, and philanthropists to intervene and support the suffering family. “This is not just about one family—it’s a glimpse into the struggle thousands are facing due to rising inflation and a broken utility system,” he said.

Calls are growing on social media for authorities to take immediate action and to investigate the billing irregularities impacting poor households across the country.