GO CORRESPONDENT

While the aam aadmi’s electricity supply is cut off if negligible bills are not paid on time, industrial units continue to get power even though they have yet to pay bills running into crores of rupees.

WHILE POWER Minister Aleixo Sequeira speaks of introducing spot billing, it remains to be seen how many that are billed will pay on the spot - especially industrial unit owners. The Electricity Department of Goa has yet to recover arrears from an increasing number of defaulters. Till December 2009, the Department had not been paid by 983 defaulters. A total of Rs.104,17,46,332 is owed to the Department.

Out of the 983, 70 private defaulters owe more than Rs.One lakh; 72 are government offices and corporations; cases of 82 defaulters with power bills above Rs.One lakh are pending before the Revenue Court and the remaining 761 have power bills between Rs.25,000 thousand and Rs.One lakh. These defaulters are from major divisions like Panaji, Ponda, Margao, Bicholim, Mapusa, Curchorem, Ponda, Vasco and Verna. These bills have not been paid for more than six months. Around 17 of them are major industries located in the industrial estates in Goa like Verna, Bicholim, Ponda. Amongst the major defaulters whose amount has exceeded more than a crore are Balaji Metals, Madkai Industrial Estate (Rs.1,19,37,021), Twenty First Century Wire Rods, Madkai Industrial Estate (Rs.10,42,69,105), Marmagoa Steel Ltd, Curtorim (Rs.29,60,26,299) and M/s Goa Steel Ltd, Bicholim (1,37,04,000). Out of the 70 cases, no action has been initiated in fourteen cases, ten cases are pending in the High Court, 17 are facing temporary disconnection, one case is pending in the Supreme Court, payment is being done in instalments in six cases and others are termed as disputed bills. Amongst the disputed bills, only three are referred to the Redressal Committee in the Department.

GOVT DEFAULTERS

TO make matters worse, government consumers and corporations also feature on the list of defaulters of power bills of more than Rs.One lakh, pending for more than six months. The maximum amount is owed by Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB), Pernem and Terekhol, which is Rs. 12,66,60,739. In the greed of earning more money on surplus electricity by selling it to the MSEB, the Electricity Department is losing out on funds by not recovering the amount from the defaulters. The second highest defaulter in the list is the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC), which is embroiled in a long pending dispute with the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP). Since its inception, the GSIDC has been carrying out developmental and ‘beautification’ work in Panaji, which is under the jurisdiction of the CCP. But the CCP, which is already reeling under the crisis of lack of funds, seems unable to pay the huge amount of Rs.52,94,438. The shoddy work of the GSIDC adds to the amount every year and the scams within the CCP only worsen its financial status.

Division I Panaji tops the list of those whose defaulted amount is between Rs.25,000 thousand and Rs.One lakh with 339 defaulters. The defaulters mainly include commercial firms and builders, who have failed to pay electricity bills for more than six months. Model Real Estate Developers, Taleigao, Models Construction Taleigao, Estral Developers, Essar Builders, Sapna Real Estates, Alcon Real Estate, former mayor Tony Rodrigues, D Mangalji & Co, Insta Effects, Dempo Properties, ICICI Banking Corporation, the Corporation of the City of Panaji and the Economic Development Corporation Ltd (EDC) are yet to pay their bills. Second in the list is Division VI Mapusa which includes the coastal villages of Calangute, Siolim, Porvorim, Saligao, Arpora, Siolim where the builders and the hotel industry, while busy destroying the greenery and peace of the villages, has left Electricity Department bills pending. Nirvana Nest, Highland Homes, Marina Resorts Pvt Ltd, Saldanha Developers, Rajasthan Marble Tiles are among the list of defaulters.

In most of the cases, temporary disconnection notices are issued to the parties. The primary reasons given for not initiating action against the defaulters include disputed bill, dysfunctional meter, ‘door locked’ and even that the meter is located inside the premises. The casual attitude of the Department officials is equally responsible for the failure of defaulters to pay up. The non-paying parties do not feel any pressure to pay up as they continue to receive power. While the Electricity Department may not be inclined towards making defaulters pay up quick, perhaps the government should intervene as the amount owed will make a substantial difference to the state treasury.