Why did PDD allow a whooping sum of 1160 crore rupees of tariff arrears accumulate all these years? Why was not legal action taken against the defaulters who have now been identified and served with notices? People will be more interested in knowing answers to such nagging questions rather than being told what action is taken against them belatedly. Who does not know the answer to these questions? Those who suffer regular power cuts and are forced to live in darkness know where the shoe pinches. Among the defaulters are essentially big business magnets and influential individuals. A department with vested interests would not take action against the defaulters at right time. We know that if an ordinary consumer fails to pay the tariff bill in time, his power line is disconnected forthwith. But for the high ups, the influential elements, no rule applies and no action is taken. The consequences are not far to seek. To provide them with uninterrupted power, the poorer and less influential persons, the “aam admi” must suffer long power cuts.
For the first time the PDD will be taking legal action against the defaulting consumers. Had this kind of action been taken at proper time, neither there would be large accumulation nor the hassle of knocking at the door of special courts. Among other things, an effective and result-oriented reform in this area should have been made long ago. Such is the influence of the defaulters that they did not let the PDD move a campaign against them for withholding payment of tariff and arrears. Now it appears that a long process of litigation has ensued and who knows what will be the verdict of the concerned courts in cases of non-payment of arrears of tariff.
PDD has so far issued two separate lists of consumers who are defaulters in paying the outstanding bills of power consumption. In one list there are consumers with arrears up to ten lakh and in the other consumers with arrears up to 5 lakh. A sum of rupees 64 crore remains outstanding against 130 consumers, PDD has revealed the names of prominent business concerns in both the regions of the State against whom huge amounts on account of non-payment of power bills are pending. Surprisingly the Government departments owe 810 crore rupees to PDD and 350 crore is the share of domestic and commercial consumers. Some of the defaulting premiers are the very departments that caution the public against misuse of electric power. It shows that as if the Government is only for the large state bureaucracy and not the ordinary people. Everybody in the state and more particularly the higher echelons of bureaucracy are fully aware that the PDD is running on loss. There is a big gap between power purchase and revenue collection. Instead of setting an example for ordinary people of austerity measures in consumption of electric power, the Government departments have behaved in a callous manner and put off payment of electric bills from time to time. Revenue losses during 2010-11 have been to the tune of 1900 crore and for the year 2012-13 these are likely to escalate to 2100 crore rupees. The power supply in the State is critical. Drastic action is needed to stem the rot in PDD.
The fact is that people are not much excited about the Government issuing notices to the defaulters and fixing dates for payment of arrears or for disclosing the big names against which action will be taken. The reason is that they are apprehensive that this could be something for public consumption and pre-election strategy of the ruling coalition. The crux of the matter is whether the Government is really serious in bringing these defaulters to book, recover the arrears and give them exemplary punishment so that a message goes across the state that the Government this time means business.
We appreciate the initiative taken by the Government. Though belated yet it is commendable that action has been initiated to recover a large chunk of arrears and raise funds to augment financial stability of the PDD, which, for the present, has become a sick industry that could collapse any day.
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