Baripada: Houses of 81 families in Tarjodi village under Shamakhunta block in Mayurbhanj district have been without power for the last 15 days as their connections have been snapped due to the non-payment of bills. The villagers on the other hand have blamed NESCO staff for not providing the bills on time.
Villagers alleged that NESCO staff never makes door-to-door visits to hand over the bills to the respective consumers. Instead they either leave the bills tied to a bamboo pole at the beginning of the village road or deposit it at a shop. “They do so to avoid the grind. In the process we suffer as the bills get lost,” said the villagers.
“We once caught one of the NESCO persons and told him to deliver the bills to each of us individually. He blatantly refused and dared us to complain to the higher authorities,” they added.
The villagers also said that with the NESCO office at Baripada town more than 15 kilometres away, it becomes difficult for them to travel that distance and pay the amount.
“We have taken up the issue with higher officials on several occasions but to no avail. Now NESCO has snapped connections at a time when crucial examinations are on in schools and colleges. It shouldn’t have happened,” said Panchayat member Deepak Singh and Ward member Laxman Singh.
When questioned on this issue, NESCO executive engineer Ranjan Dandpat said the problem would be sorted out in a day or two. He also said that if the allegations against ‘errant’ NESCO staff are true stringent action would be taken against them.
PNN
