Power Department’s Bill Sahuliyat App becomes victim of cyber attack

Srinagar, May 28: Amid hostilities between India and Pakistan, the Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited (KPDCL) has confirmed that its flagship Bill Sahuliyat Smart app was affected by a cyberattack, leaving thousands of consumers unable to pay their electricity bills since the beginning of May.

The app, widely used across the Kashmir Valley—especially in areas with smart meters where paper bills have been phased out—suffered a cybersecurity breach earlier this month. The outage has not only disrupted bill payments but has also triggered growing anxiety among consumers who rely entirely on digital platforms for prepaid and postpaid transactions.

Speaking to Greater Kashmir, Chief Engineer KPDCL Distribution Aaquib Sultana Waheed Deva said, "During hostilities, the Bill Sahuliyat Smart app was hit by a cyberattack. As per government guidelines, we had to sanitise and secure the system before restoring it. It will be live again soon. Meanwhile, we have launched the 'Bill Sahuliyat Plus' app for uninterrupted services."

Deva assured consumers that "no disconnections of prepaid connections will occur during days when the app is inoperable. The new 'Bill Sahuliyat Plus' app, now available on the Play Store, allows consumers to pay bills, view usage details, and recharge prepaid meters, offering an essential stopgap until the original platform is restored."

But for many users, the sudden shift has caused significant inconvenience and stress.

“I have been trying to pay my electricity bill since the first week of May, but the Bill Sahuliyat app just doesn’t open. With no paper bill and no working app, we are left clueless,” said Fayaz Ahmad, a resident of Bemina.

“It’s been nearly a month since I last recharged my prepaid meter. The app has been down, and I don’t know how much balance is left. We fear our power will be disconnected anytime,” shared Shabnam Jan, a schoolteacher from Rajbagh.

In response to growing concerns, KPDCL has also advised consumers to utilise alternate payment methods such as the J&K Bank mPay app and physical payment counters in select areas. Additionally, the department has published a tutorial video on its official Facebook page to guide users through the newly launched Bill Sahuliyat Plus app. Updates and consumer queries are being handled actively on the department’s official X handle (formerly Twitter).

KPDCL officials say it is working with cybersecurity experts to investigate the breach and prevent future incidents. Officials also hinted that any penalties or late fees arising from the outage will be waived, and consumers need not worry about disconnection notices until the full system is restored.