Bhubaneswar: Expressing serious concern over the long-pending electricity dues of various departments and wings of the government, the energy department has asked all defaulters to pay the dues. Government offices are having electricity dues of `413.07crore up to March end this year.
These entities owe this much amount to four distribution companies (discoms) – the Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU), the North Eastern Electricity Supply Company (NESCO), the Western Electricity Supply Company of Orissa Ltd (WESCO) and the Southern Electricity Supply Company of Orissa Ltd (SOUTHCO).
“Many government departments have not paid the electricity bills for a long time. As a result, huge arrears are pending. We have asked departments to make a provision for payment of these dues in their supplementary budget,” said energy minister Prafulla Mallik said here Thursday. The highest electricity dues of `132.65crore is pending against various offices under CESU area while `102.08crore is pending in the NESCO area, `96.88 crore in WESCO and `81.07crore in SOUTHCO, sources said.
Orissa Electricity Consumers’ Association (OECA)president Ramesh Satpathy said GRIDCO might have not moved the Orissa Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) demanding a tariff hike if the dues have been paid on time. Taking advantage of this case, Opposition Congress and BJP targeted the government and said it should not put the financial burden of the discoms on consumers.
“Various government offices including the energy department have not paid their electricity bills. Why should consumers bear the brunt vis-à-vis the outstanding dues of the government offices,” asked state BJP general secretary Bhrugu Baxipatra.
Earlier in the day, the state unit of the BJP has submitted a memorandum to the chairperson of OERC demanding that they should not consider the plea of power companies for a power tariff hike. Congress MLA Prakash Behera said now it has been understood as to why the government wants a power tariff hike. “The BJD government is trying to hike the electricity tariff to adjust its outstanding electricity dues,” Behera alleged.
BJD spokesperson Sameer Das indirectly spoke on the same line with the Opposition. “If the GRIDCO is moving the OERC for a tariff hike due to electricity dues, the department should clear them.,” he added.
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