nSheo Chandra Prasad of Goriyahee tola under Kachan panchayat of Ramgarh block in Palamu is consuming electricity without paying any charges. He doesn’t have an electricity meter and he wants it for billing. He is consuming this free electricity for over the last two years. He does not find himself at any ‘fault’ saying the department has not provided the meter.
Prasad is not alone in this Goriyahee tola. There is a village spice seller Chandra Shekhar, house wife Bhagmati Devi and others who are enjoying electricity without paying for its consumption at all in the last two years. The good thing about these people is that they are demanding for meters, which are not being given to them. They have no idea if the electricity department will charge bills for the period they so consumed electricity and no metering was done of this consumption. Bibash Chandra Pal superintending engineer of electricity here in Daltonganj said “There are numerous households here which have no meter. These households are consuming power. These households would be given meters. It may take some more time but all such consumption of electricity is to be metered and billed”. He was silent on the issue of paying charges of electricity so consumed without meters by the households.
Tata Project Limited and East India Company are to provide meters to households, where power connectivity has reached but these two companies are lagging behind the target of providing meters to households.
According to an official figure Tata Project Limited has to provide meters in 1,417 revenue villages (not households) but this company has so far provided meters in only 813 villages. Again East India Company was to provide meters to 294 villages sbut this company has metered only170 villages. Pal said, “Tata Project Limited is more struggling for meters. I am told 25,000 meters are on way here. East India Company is in somewhat comfortable position. But, it is a fact that meters are in too short supply here. It is a countrywide phenomenon. We have even given our department’s 10, 000 meters to Tata Project Limited, which we will get back from them once their consignment of meters reaches here.”
He agreed that there are still tolas in villages which are declared to have been electrified but their numerous tolas are still away from electricity will now be covered under Deen Dayal Upadhaya Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojna.
Pal further admitted, “Meters are being given on priority basis. It comes with first new connection, then APL households where meters are to be given. The BPL households come after these two.” Sources said the poor households are the big beneficiary by default of too acute and short supply of meters in Palamu.