Bhubaneswar: Amidst protests from the Opposition, the Central Electricity Utility Authority (Cesu) of Odisha, the power distribution company operating in nine districts, will launch a special drive to disconnect power supply to defaulters from January 16.
Today being a holiday on account of ‘Makar Sankrati’, the Cesu will go for disconnection of supply of defaulting commercial consumers and households who have not deliberately cleared the arrears from January 16.
Cesu Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Arun Bothra had December 10 asked defaulter consumers to clear their dues before January 15 or face power disconnection. Notwithstanding the criticism from the opposition BJP and the Congress, the Cesu will go ahead with its earlier announcement to disconnect power supply of those who have not cleared the dues, Sr GM Manoj Singh told newsmen here Tuesday.
He said, in the first phase the Cesu will act on commercial consumers and domestic consumers who are economically sound but not cleared the power dues. The distribution company had already formed 413 squads to carry out the power termination drive in nine districts under its jurisdiction.
Reacting to the news report, a top Cesu official said power will be disconnected only in the case of defaulter consumers and not the whole village.
Both the BJP and the Congress, however, opposed the move. The two parties came down heavily on the Cesu for its inability to collect huge power dues from big industrial houses and targeting poor consumers.
