SRINAGAR: After coming under severe criticism for its inaction on revenue recovery from big and influential defaulters, the Power Development Department (PDD) on Friday launched a disconnection drive against some VVIPs, CRPF camps, hotels and industries.
Sources told a local news agency, KNS that electricity supply of over a half dozen CRPF camps, four VVIPS including MLAs, MLCs and MPs in Tulsi Bagh locality of Srinagar city was disconnected by the department.
The defaulters’ names were not immediately known.
In March this year the department snapped supply to governing National Conference and member of the Rajya Sabha, Mohammed Shafi Uri, Congress leader and former minister, Abdul Gani Vakil, opposition people’s Democratic Party of PDP’s MLA from Rajpora, Syed Bashir and former President of the state Congress, Ghulam Rasool Kar.
The consumers had defaulted on bills amounting to lakhs of rupees.
Executive Engineer PDD Srinagar, Mohammad Yousuf Baba said: “We want to give people a peaceful winter as they always complain about prolonged power curtailments during winters. But this possible only when we recover revenue and purchase the required power accordingly.”
Baba informed that various squads have been constituted which will monitor over loading of electricity in Srinagar town.
Sources in the department said that there is a huge annual deficit of Rs 2200 Crores between revenue recovery and power purchases in the state.
“There is some Rs 300 Crores annual revenue recovery target in Srinagar town only out of which the department is able to recover below Rs 200 Crores,” reliable sources told KNS. The defaulters, whose power suplly was snapped on Friday, had already been sent notices.
The KNS reports that there are various industrial houses in the state which owed the PDD crores of rupees.
The Chief Engineer PDD, Bashir Ahmad Khan when contacted said: “We have decided not to succumb to any influence or any pressure vis-à-vis our disconnection drive. We will disconnect electricity supplies of all drawing electricity illegally or not paying their bills.”
He said that the Valley needs only 600 Mega Watts of electricity for evening hours but the department is being compelled to provide 950 Mega Watts electricity supply which means over 300 Mega watts of electricity is being consumed illegally.
“There are many other difficulties including the illegal consumption of electricity in Kashmir which has prompted us to launch the disconnection drive. This drive will continue and will be taken to the whole valley.”
