JPDCL disconnects 15,000 power connections in Jammu, realises Rs 30 cr revenue from defaulters

JAMMU, Mar 14: The Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (JPDCL) has so far disconnected around fifteen thousand power connections in Jammu in its ongoing drive against the common households, commercial establishments and government offices which have not paid their power dues pending for long.
“These 15,000 power connections have been disconnected in Jammu City, its outskirts and areas right upto Mansar, Bishnah, RS Pura and adjoining areas,” Assistant Executive Engineers (AEE), Rajesh Sharma and Avneet Gupta told Rising Kashmir.
They said the number of power connections to be disconnected will further go up by the day as the drive against the defaulters who have not paid their pending power dues has been going on vigourously.
The JPDCL has prepared a long list of defaulters who have not paid their pending power dues despite being served repeated notices by the department. The defaulters include common people, commercial establishments and government offices. However, the government offices are the major defaulters as their pending power bills run into several crores, the officers said.
“A revenue of around Rs 30 crore has so been recovered from the defaulters during the ongoing drive in Jammu City and its outskirts,” the officers said, adding, “A major chunk of revenue has been recovered from the government offices.”
The power supply to the government offices including the Divisional Commissioner Jammu office, PWD office at Nirwan Bhawan, Panama Chowk, PHE office at BC Road, Tourism Department’s head office at Residency Road, Jammu, etc was disconnected as they failed to pay their pending power bills despite repeated notices.
“These government departments paid some amount out of their pending dues and assured that the rest of the pending power bills will also be paid in due course of time,” the officers said, adding that after the assurance, the power supply was restored in the government offices.
As already reported, both JMC and the GMC, Jammu owe an amount of Rs 116 crore to the JPDCL as their power dues. The JMC has to pay Rs 91 crore of pending power bills, while the GMC-Jammu has to pay Rs 25 crore of pending power dues.
The PHE office at BC Road Jammu has also an outstanding power bill of Rs 32 crores.