Times of
India: Moradabad: Saturday, October 25,
2014.
The power department, which follows a strict
policy while realizing outstanding dues from consumers, has failed to follow
the same regulations for government departments and officials, including some
of its own.
The response to an RTI query filed by a local
activist has revealed that the department has a huge sum of outstanding dues,
amounting to Rs 4.19 crore, from various government departments out of which
about Rs 17 lakh are also yet to be paid by two of its own officials.
As a result, the state exchequer is suffering a
huge loss even as the department continues with its drive to make consumers pay
up.
The RTI query filed by Pawan Agrwal revealed that
143 state officials posted in the district have consumed electricity worth Rs
4.19 crore without paying a single penny from their pocket. Most officials have
not paid their electricity bills since the last 40 years.
Talking to TOI, chief engineer urban distribution,
C P Singh said, "Recovery notices have been issued from the department to
the officials who haven't paid the electricity bills. If they fail to pay the
outstanding arrears, their electricity connections will be cut and restored
only after they deposit the amount payable against their own/office's
name."
The power department has reportedly sent notices
and warnings in the past as well, but the threat to disconnect electricity
remains confined to paper.
Among the major defaulters include official
compounds of the district magistrate (Rs 18 lakh), senior superintendant of
police (Rs 73 lakh), two executive engineers of the electricity department (Rs
17 lakh), DIG (Rs 3.41 lakh), chief medical officer (Rs 70 lakh), district
court compound, district jail (Rs 70 lakh), and commandant of police training
academy (Rs 13 lakh).
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