J&K departments among top 100 power defaulters, owe govt ₹1,000 crore
Even as the Omar Abdullah government has promised to bring reforms in the power sector, his cash-strapped government on Thursday revealed the identities of the top 100 electricity defaulters who collectively owe ₹1,000 crore in arrears. The defaulters include government departments, public sector units and private entities.
₹1,000 crore in arrears. The defaulters include government departments, public sector units and private entities. (AFP File)” title=”Even as the Omar Abdullah government has promised to bring reforms in the power sector, his cash-strapped government on Thursday revealed the identities of the top 100 electricity defaulters who collectively owe ₹1,000 crore in arrears. The defaulters include government departments, public sector units and private entities. (AFP File)” />Responding to a question raised by Langate Awami Ittehad Party MLA Sheikh Khursheed in the assembly in Jammu, the government furnished the list of the top 100 defaulters. Khursheed had sought transparency on pending dues and beneficiaries of the recently launched electricity amnesty scheme.
While residents of Jammu and Kashmir have alleged that they have been slapped with inflated power bills, among the highest defaulters is Baba Jangi, a consumer under Ganderbal circle, with arrears amounting to ₹63.78 crore.
Other major defaulters include the chief engineer of Salal Hydroelectric Project (NHPC) with ₹56.96-crore pending dues, the public health engineering (PHE) department in Sopore that owes ₹45.84 crore; the J&K Minerals Limited with ₹42.43 crore pending; Rajpora Lift Irrigation AWP Stages 1 and 2 with ₹39.83-crore outstanding dues; PHE mechanical division, Sopore, executive engineer with ₹26.87 crore; water supply scheme, Tangnar, with ₹24.1 crore; Jammu & Kashmir Cements Ltd manager with ₹22.49 crore; lift irrigation, Lethpora stage 1, with ₹21.97 crore; PHE mechanical division, Sopore, executive engineer (PR 96) with ₹21.41 crore; Surya Pharmaceuticals with ₹35.83 crore; Sharma Stone-crusher with ₹20.74 crore; Himalayan Rolling Steel Industries Private Limited with ₹10.01 crore; Anantnag SSP with ₹8.56 crore; Pee Ell Alloys Private Limited with ₹9.44 crore; and Mir Steel Rolling Mill Private Limited with ₹10.57 crore.
Power pilferage has been rampant in Jammu and Kashmir. In 2012, businessman Hilal Rather had been handed a penalty of ₹21 lakh by the power development department (PDD).
Recovery of dues a challenge
Asked how the Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (JPDCL) plans to recover the outstanding dues and penalise the defaulters, chief engineer KK Thapa said: “We have initiated a slew of measures to recover the pending bills. The last option is to disconnect power supply. From time to time, the government comes up with an amnesty scheme for consumers where the interest component is waived but we recover the principal arrears in instalments.”
He cited the instance of Jammu region, which had power arrears of more than ₹1,530 crore over the past two years. “The principal arrear was ₹650 crore, while the interest component was ₹800 crore, which was waived. The principal component was divided in 12 instalments for consumers. Yet, we have been able to recover only ₹156 crore in the past two years against the outstanding amount of ₹650 crore,” he said.
The chief engineer said that despite the amnesty scheme, consumers expressed inability to clear their pending bills citing penury.
‘Snapping supply will hit people’
Admitting that government departments are among the biggest defaulters, he said: “We can’t simply snap power supply to some of them. Invoking such action against the PHE (Jal Shakti) department, for instance, will ultimately affect the public.” He cited the case of Kalakote thermal power plant, which has been shut but still owes around ₹30 crore to the PDD.
“In the case of government departments, the matter is taken up at the secretary level and then we get some part of the arrears, like last year when the PHE sent us ₹200 crore,” he said.
Thapa said that when the PDD field staff snaps power connection of individual consumers and private firms, the department is dragged to court.
He cited instances of old factories that have been lying defunct but still owe dues to the department. “Pending arrears attract interest and the bills keep swelling,” he said, adding “Most domestic consumers largely pay their dues. There is fiscal discipline among them due to the PDD’s continued endeavours of creating awareness among the people.”
‘Govt should set own house in order’
On inflated bills, Thapa said it happens when consumers miss remitting their dues in time.
However, Raman Sharma, a Jammu-based RTI activist, said, “On one hand, government departments are the biggest defaulters and on the other hand common people get inflated bills and are being subjected to stringent measures. The power arrears of the departments and big fish run into crores. The government should first set its house in order and get hold of the big fish before harassing people. The government could evolve a policy where the common man gets relief in the form of rebate.”
