A whopping sum of Rs19.3 crore in power bill dues of municipal corporations, municipalities and nagar panchayats had to be paid up by the Directorate of Urban Administration and Development (UAD).
The Director, Urban Administration and Development Department, Dr Rohit Yadav, in a letter written to the commissioners of all municipal corporations and CEOs of all municipalities and nagar panchayats, expressed annoyance over the non-payment of electricity bill dues.Dr Yadav said that instructions had been issued repeatedly to the urban bodies to pay the electricity bill payment on a regular basis.
In the poor financial situation, financial assistance has been provided to these bodies in the form of special grant. Even then, these bodies have not been paying the electricity bills on time. Because of that, the Chhattisgarh State Power Company ltd had been snapping the power connections of the body concerned or sending notices to them. This situation is not in public interest.
He said that the Directorate has paid the electricity bill dues up to December 2013 to the Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company ltd.Dr Yadav said that there were a total of Rs9.92 crore bill dues on 10 municipal corporations of the State, of which the highest Rs4.64 crore was on Korba Municipal Corporation, Rs2.72 crore on Raipur, Rs5.46 lakh on Bhilai, Rs 7.15 lakh on Durg, Rs1.01 crore on Rajnandgaon, Rs60.47 lakh on Bilaspur, Rs34.35 lakh on Raigarh, Rs44.22 lakh on Jagadalpur, Rs26.07 lakh on Ambikapur and Rs3.27 lakh on Chirmiri municipal corporation.
Similarly, total Rs5.35 crore power bill dues were on 19 municipalities, of which the highest Rs1.29 crore were on Takhatpur, Rs26.45 lakh on Beergaon, Rs19.50 lakh on Kumhari and Rs95 lakh on Kharsiya. More than Rs4.23 crore power bill dues were on 76 Nagar Panchayats.
Giving information on the power bill dues, managing director of the Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company ltd, Subodh Kumar Singh, had written a letter to the Principal Secretary, Urban Administration Department. After that the Directorate of Urban Administration and Development has paid the payment.Urban Administration Director Dr Yadav, in the letter sent to the urban bodies, has said that power bill payment should be done on a regular basis from next month.