Mysuru: Across the state, public sector electricity corporations are faced with the problem of unpaid dues from local administration bodies such as panchayats and municipalities. However, the state-run
Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (Cesc) has decided to act tough against a
gram panchayat in
Chamarajanagar district, which has outstanding payments coming up to a staggering Rs 27 lakh. Cracking the whip on the defaulting GP in Koudalli in Kollegal taluk,
Cesc discontinued power supply to the GP office. However, on humanitarian grounds, power will be provided for streetlights and water supply.
The GP officials had allegedly defaulted on payments since 2014, and as a result, the arrears kept mounting. Cesc officials told the Koudalli GP authorities that they had severed one connection in the village as an indication of their intent, and asked them to consider it a warning.
Koudalli panchayat development officer M Shantharaj confirmed to TOI that Cesc authorities had discontinued power supply to the GP office. However, he challenged the claim made by Cesc that the GP had defaulted on Rs 27 lakh. “The amount we have to pay is less. Cesc authorities are showing old bills, and demanding payment. We have submitted all the necessary documents to Cesc, following which they restored power supply. However, there is still some dispute about the amount to be paid,” Shanatharaj said.
He pointed out that, although the state government had waived off pending bill payments till 2014, the documents produced by the Cesc did not reflect this. “We have raised objections to this,” Shantharaj added.
A Cesc official said that they had refrained from taking stringent action against the GP authorities. “The pending amount is huge,” the official said, adding that funds were specifically earmarked for panchayats towards the payment of utilities such as electricity. “We are facing a lot of trouble in the villages when it comes to payment of bills,” he said.
