NAGPUR: After waiting for months for power consumers to pay their bills, the MSEDCL has finally started disconnecting them. Over 2,700 consumers have been disconnected in the district so far and it is expected to be intensified from March.
An MSEDCL spokesperson said that the consumers, who had not paid their bills since April 2020, had been repeatedly called on their mobile phones urging them to pay up. “We also sent them several text messages. They were told that they can pay the dues in instalments. Then we sent them disconnection notices. When nothing worked, we started disconnecting them,” he said.
Chief engineer Dilip Dodke said the MSEDCL’s financial condition has become alarming, so consumers must pay their bills. “Consumers owed Rs71,500 crore to us till December 2020 end. We have to pay generation and transmission companies for the power we purchase. In addition, we have our own expenses. If consumers don’t pay how will we function? We are ready to provide instalments to consumers, who can’t pay in one go,” he told TOI.
Disconnections have become a major political issue with the opposition BJP threatening to physically prevent the MSEDCL staffers from disconnecting consumers. The party has also threatened a statewide agitation against the disconnections. Aam Admi Party (AAP) and other opposition parties are also agitating against disconnections.
The spokesperson said that in Nagpur city 81,389 consumers had not paid bills worth Rs160.90 crore since April 2020. “After we sent disconnection notices, 2,205 consumers paid about Rs3 crore. However, we now have started disconnecting defaulters and so far power supply of 1,616 consumers, who owed Rs3.70 crore has been snapped,” he said.
Maximum 392 connections were disconnected in Trimurti Nagar subdivision only followed by 252 in MRS subdivision. “We disconnected 113 consumers in Regent division, which covers posh areas like Dhantoli and Ramdaspeth,” he said.
In Nagpur rural, 57,493 consumers owe Rs50.53 crore to the discom. “After we sent disconnection notices, 5,358 consumers paid Rs3.77 crore. We have so far disconnected 1,135 consumers, who owed Rs1.41 crore to us,” said the spokesperson.
Maximum number of disconnections were carried out in Kamptee subdivision – 312, followed by Mouda – 151. So far, no disconnection has been done in Mohpa subdivision.
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