To curb the ballooning electricity bill arrears of government departments, the state energy department has mooted installation of prepaid energy meters at the district and block level government offices.
The plan to install prepaid meters was discussed in a meeting held recently with top officials of the distribution companies (Discoms) and Gridco.
The discom authorities are advised by the energy department not to raise any outstanding arrears against the government buildings after installing such meters.
“In this regard, government orders will be solicited after due discussion with the inter-department coordination committee meeting under the chairmanship of the development commissioner,” read the minutes of the meeting.
Welcoming the government move, AK Bohra, Chief Executive Officer of Central Service Office (CSO), the umbrella organization of three distribution firms, owned by Reliance Infrastructure, said, it will certainly help in improving the financial health of the discoms as the amount will be deposited in advance and the supply will be cut off automatically, if unpaid.
North Eastern Electricity Supply Company of Orissa Limited (NESCO), Western Electricity Supply Company of Orissa Limited (WESCO) and Southern Electricity Supply Company of Orissa Limited (SOUTHCO) are the three discoms managed by Reliance Infrastructure in the state.
Also Read
The discoms were directed to submit a detailed report on the arrear outstanding with the government departments, public sector understandings (PSUs), urban local bodies (ULBS) and OLIC (Odisha Lift Irrigation Corporations) as on March 31, 2012.
Data available with CSO reveals that as on March 31, 2012 , the government departments owed Rs 121.86 crore including delayed payment surcharge(DPS) to the three privately run discoms while the electricity dues outstanding on Odisha Lift Irrigation Corporation (OLIC) was Rs 25.09 crore. Besides, government departments and OLIC have to pay Rs 52.75 crore and Rs 11 crore to Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU) managed by Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC).
Earlier, the Odisha High Court, while disposing off a PIL challenging electricity tariff hike by OERC for 2011-12 in March last year, had directed the government to clear electricity dues by April, 2012, failing which the discoms are at liberty to disconnect power supply by giving seven days notice.