Discom suffers as govt depts sit on Rs 810 crore power bills

KADAPA: Officials of the Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL) are preparing to serve notices to various government departments in Kadapa district as they have not cleared bills to the tune of Rs 810.38 crore. Majority of the dues, accumulated over several years, have to be paid by Panchayat Raj and Water Resources Department.

While Panchayat Raj owes Rs 452 crore to the discom, the Water Resources Department has to clear power bills to the tune of Rs 198 crore. APSPDCL will serve notices to these departments as repeated warnings have not yielded any results. It has been reported that the notice will clearly inform government officials that power connection will be disconnected to the respective departments, if dues are not cleared.

APSPDCL to serve notices on power bill defaulters

“We are left with no other choice. For the past few years, dues from various government departments are only increasing. We will serve notices to them,” a senior officer of the district energy department told TNIE.According to the details of dues available with APSPDCL, urban local bodies are yet to clear bills to the tune of Rs 21.96 crore. Other civic bodies, too, owe a huge sum to the discom.

Kadapa Municipal Corporation has accumulated dues to the tune of Rs 37 lakh. Municipalities including, Pulivendula owe Rs 15.11 crore, followed by Kamalapuram (Rs 4.45 crore), Yerraguntla (Rs 69 lakh), Mydukur (Rs 64 lakh), Proddatur (Rs 39 lakh), Jammalamadugu (Rs 19.70 lakh), Badvel (Rs 4.9 lakh), Rajampeta (Rs 3.4 lakh) and Rayachoti (Rs 9.66 lakh). A total of 799 village panchayats in the undivided district, including erstwhile Rajampeta division, are yet to clear bills worth Rs 154 crore.

Proddatur division has accumulated dues to the tune of Rs 87 crore, followed by Pulivendula (Rs 66 crore), Rayachoti (Rs 40 crore), Mydukur (Rs 66 crore) and Kadapa (Rs 38 crore). Although the Panchayat Raj department cleared Rs 2.83-crore dues, it still owes Rs 452 crore to APSPDCL.

Of the Rs 198 crore dues yet to be cleared by the Water Resources Department, Gandikota Lift Irrigation Scheme accounts for majority of the unpaid bills.