KANPUR: Celebration turned to agitation on Monday when a groom in Banda, incensed by a power cut hours before his wedding, marched his baraat to the district magistrate’s office. Raising slogans, he demanded his electricity bill be waived, declaring, “This will be my wedding gift.”The incident took place in the Mataundh police station area, where Kuldeep’s wedding had been fixed last year with a bride from Khanna, Mahoba. On Sunday, mehndi ceremonies and a dance programme were underway at his home when power went out around 10:45 pm. The family assumed it was a general outage, but other houses had electricity.A check of the smart meter showed the balance had gone negative. The groom said the bill had doubled since the meter was installed, making payment difficult. “How do I bring my bride home in darkness?” he asked.The family remained distressed through the night. With the baraat set to leave Monday morning, relatives asked Kuldeep to proceed to the temple. He refused, saying, “First, everyone come with me to the DM office.”Around 11 am, Kuldeep reached the DM’s office in his sherwani, carrying a puja thali, along with the wedding party and band. The sight of a groom at the collectorate drew a crowd. Women in the procession raised slogans and held posters reading: “Waive the electricity bill as my wedding gift. The bride must come home, electricity must be saved.”After being informed, district officials came out and spoke to the groom about the issue. Kuldeep said paying bills had become difficult since the smart meter was installed, with charges more than double the earlier amount. “We are a simple family. How do we pay such a bill?” he asked.He said the power was cut during severe heat while relatives were at home, causing distress. “How will I bring my bride home without electricity?” he asked. The family said a bill of Rs 15,000 had come, after which supply was cut.The DM heard their demands and assured them of a resolution, after which the groom returned with the wedding party.Speaking to TOI, power department chief engineer Rajeev Garg said, “The issue would have occurred if the balance went negative. They have been informed to keep the balance positive and there will be no problem.”City magistrate Sandeep Kela said, “Orders have been issued for an inquiry into the complaint of power disconnection.”
