Amravati villagers fail to pay power bills, want to end life

Nearly 500 residents of Pusada village in Amravati district of the state, who have not paid electricity bills to the tune of about Rs 35 lakh, have sought permission from President A P J Abdul Kalam to end their lives, sources said.

In a letter to Kalam, the villagers said they were "fed up with the collection drive of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co (MSEDC), and due to crop failure, they were not in a position to pay their bills. Therefore, they be allowed to end their lives".

The Pusada village in the western Vidarbha region has over five hundred houses, whose residents have not paid electricity bills for the last four years, official sources said.

Of the huge arrear, Rs 25 lakh was the bill amount while the rest was penalty imposed by MSEDC, sources said, adding out of the 500 families, 425 were absolute defaulters while the rest had paid bills partially.

The electricity company, as per the norms, has also served notices for disconnection by December 31. However, power supply was not disconnected as a humanitarian gesture, and the deadline extended, said Ravindra Jadhav, district collector of Amravati.

The local unit of Shetkari Sanghatana and MLA Sanjay Band has taken up the issue and a meeting would be held today with MSEDC officials to resolve the matter, sources said.