JAMMU, Mar 13: The Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMC&H), Jammu, the premier health institute of the region, are the major defaulters as the power dues pending with JMC and GMC-J have gone over rupees one hundred crores, official said.
“We have served notices to both GMC-Jammu and the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) to pay the pending power dues,” Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE), Division-1, Avneet Gupta informed Rising Kashmir.
Adding, “We have strict instructions from higher authorities to take strict action including disconnection of power if the defaulter fails to pay the pending power dues despite being served notice”.
As per the figures available with Rising Kashmir, the JMC has to pay Rs 91 crore pending power bills, while the GMC-Jammu has to pay Rs 25 crores of pending power dues. Both JMC and GMC together owe Rs 116 crores to the Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (JPDCL).
Many other government departments and offices are also among the major defaulters and their pending power bills also run in lakhs. “We have prepared a list of the defaulters and notices are being issued to them to clear the pending power bills or face action,” the AEE further informed.
Among the major defaulters, who have not paid their power dues despite repeated reminders from the JPDCL, are the head office PHE at BC Road, Jammu, and the Jammu Development Authority (JDA), officials said.
The PHE office has an outstanding power bill of Rs 32 crores, the figures reveal. The power supply of the PHE office was also disconnected after which the authorities paid some amount.
“After payment of some pending dues, the power supply was restored in PHE office as we were assured that remaining pending dues will also be paid soon,” the official said.
Similarly, the JDA has still not paid its pending power dues amounting to Rs 81 lakh, officials said adding it is also among the list of major defaulters.
The Tourism Department’s office at Residency Road, Jammu, is also a major defaulter with Rs 30 lakh power bills pending.
The power supply to Tourism Department’s office was also disconnected. “The department paid Rs 10 lakh after which the power supply was restored only after assurance that remaining dues would be paid soon,” the officer further said.
Similarly, Police Control Room and some Police Stations are also among the defaulters as they also have to pay Rs 3 cr pending power bills.
The power bills of all the government offices, GMC, JMC and others have been pending for years. In this regard, the AEE, when asked about the reason, said that all come up with only one reply saying paucity of funds.
“Each time a notice is served to the defaulters to pay pending power dues, the only reply we get is the scarcity of funds,” the AEE said adding, “now, we have instructions to go tough”.
