Nurpur defaulters face power disconnection
A large number of electricity consumers in rural and urban areas of Nurpur are at risk of losing their power supply connections next month for failing to clear outstanding electricity bills to Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Ltd. (HPSEBL) by March 31. The local authorities of HPSEBL have already issued defaulter notices, warning that power supply will be snapped for those who fail to settle their dues.
Intriguingly, the defaulters are not just domestic and commercial consumers but also include several government offices. According to official sources, the total outstanding amount from defaulters in the Nurpur electrical sub-division stands at approximately Rs 5.97 crore. Taking a firm stand, HPSEBL has announced that it will begin issuing disconnection orders from next month for those who fail to pay by the deadline.
Breaking down the outstanding dues, domestic consumers owe Rs 55.35 lakh, commercial consumers Rs 63.70 lakh and government offices a staggering Rs 4.78 crore. Among the government defaulters, the Jal Shakti Department has the highest outstanding amount, with Rs 2.47 crore in unpaid bills. Additionally, the offices of the SDM and Tehsildar owe Rs 5.51 lakh and Rs 4.20 lakh, respectively. The Civil Hospital has pending dues of Rs 2.16 lakh, while other government offices collectively owe Rs 1.07 crore.
In the Nurpur electrical sub-division, there are 14,986 domestic consumers, 3,747 commercial consumers, and 235 government consumers. Of these, 3,500 domestic consumers, 2,200 commercial consumers, and 135 government offices have been declared defaulters and issued final notices by HPSEBL.
Speaking on the issue, Assistant Engineer Bhupinder Singh of the Nurpur Electrical Sub-Division stated that multiple notices had already been issued to defaulting consumers, giving them sufficient time to clear their dues. However, with many failing to comply, HPSEBL has now taken a strict stand. He added that once a consumer’s power supply is disconnected, they would only have it restored after clearing all outstanding dues and paying an additional Rs 250 as reconnection charges.
This is not the first time HPSEBL has taken strict action against defaulters. On January 29, power supply to the Tehsil Office Complex, Nurpur, was disconnected due to unpaid bills of Rs 54,32,229. The connection was restored the next day after the office provided an undertaking to deposit Rs 5 lakh towards the dues by February 5 and clear the full amount by March 31. A similar undertaking was also submitted by the SDM office, deferring its disconnection until the month-end.
With the March 31 deadline fast approaching, HPSEBL has made it clear that strict action will be taken against defaulters.
