Unpaid bills: Power board issues final notice to defaulters

Nahan, September 1

The Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board has started issuing notices to defaulters over unpaid bills in Sirmaur district with outstanding amount surpassing Rs 1.5 crore. The board has issued the notices to the defaulters, warning them of imminent disconnection of power supply if payment is not made promptly.

Majority of the defaulters are reportedly in the Nahan and Paonta Sahib areas. According to sources in the power board, Rs 46 lakh is pending in the Nahan subdivision alone. In Nahan city, approximately 300 consumers, including residential and commercial users, owe the board Rs 32 lakh. Nearly 200 consumers from rural areas are also yet to clear dues totaling to Rs 14 lakh.

The board has started disconnecting electricity connection of the defaulters who have failed to pay up within the grace period provided after the initial notices were issued.

The crackdown is not limited to private consumers, but government departments, too, are under scrutiny. The Jal Shakti Department in Nahan, Paonta Sahib and Rajgarh has not paid the electricity bills for over a year, with an outstanding amount of Rs 3.6 crore, Rs 2.77 crore and Rs 6.03 crore, respectively. The board is reportedly taking legal path to recover this amount as well.

The situation is equally concerning in Paonta Sahib, particularly in the subdivision-2, where 231 consumers owe the board Rs 99 lakh. The board has issued public notices in these areas, stating that if payments are not made within two to three days, power supply will be cut without further notice.

Superintendent Engineer, Nahan, Darshan Thakur urged consumers to settle their dues immediately to avoid power disconnection and additional penalties. The board has made it clear that no leniency will be shown to the defaulters, whether they are private consumers or government departments. The public is advised to take these warnings seriously and cooperate with the board, he added.