Defaulters to get 3 months to clear dues

Sumit Hakhoo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 3

Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory (UT) recently announced the Power Amnesty Scheme, which aims to recover more than Rs 3,000 crore from habitual power defaulters. A majority of these defaulters are high profile consumers and industrial houses who have for years used political connections to escape paying regular tariffs.

They have been given opportunity to clear their dues in three instalments within three months period after which the electricity supply will be disconnected. Under the scheme, the administration will waive penalties and interests accumulated on the principal amount of each individual defaulter but they will have to pay the principal amount. The Amnesty Scheme was rolled from March 1.

Months after unbundling of the Power Development Department (PDD) which was divided into three corporations for Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, consumers whose bills runs into thousands and in some cases lakhs are facing whip of the new UT Administration. “Defaulters will have to pay 25 per cent payment of the principal amount by March 31, 40 per cent of the payment by April 30 and remaining 35 per cent by May 31”, said a senior Power Corporation official.

In case they don’t avail the opportunity to pay their accumulated tariffs, the administration has warned to take legal action against them.

Recently Principal Secretary Planning, Development and Monitoring, Rohit Kansal has revealed that after the implementation of the Aamnesty Scheme waiver of penalties and interests will cost around Rs 600 crore. Since 2005, when Jammu and Kashmir was a state, crores have been spent on improving power sector but failure to recover revenue as against power purchase bill has led to the failure.