UP govt offices, ministers top power defaulters’ list

The top defaulters when it comes to paying power dues in Uttar Pradesh are, ironically, the mighty and the powerful.

According to the Lucknow Electric Supply Administration officials, the biggest defaulters are either government offices or top politicians. A senior LESA official said on Thursday that the police department was a major defaulter with dues amounting to Rs 865.54 lakhs while the health department came a close second with dues adding up to Rs 752.3 lakhs. The Lucknow district court owes the electricity department Rs 265.32 lakhs and the agriculture department dues add up to Rs 222.54 lakhs.

The district collectorate office has pending bills for Rs 199.52 lakhs and the municipal corporation dues are Rs 181.57 lakhs.

Power officials announced a major disconnection drive but the campaign lost steam on the first day itself when power men disconnected power supply to the official residence of Madhya Pradesh governor Ram Naresh Yadav who owes Rs 24 lakhs to the power department.

Power was restored on the intervention of top officials within two hours, without any clearance of dues.

LESA chief engineer S.K. Verma said that the executive engineers have been directed to inform the concerned departments through messengers, courier, fax and email about the disconnection process if they do not pay their bills.

An executive engineer in LESA said that the power officials had problems in realising dues from the common man or even disconnecting their supply because the government departments refuse to pay up.

“Whenever the team goes for realisation of dues or disconnection, we face angry mobs that ask us to first realise the dues from politicians and the government. Faced with angry crowds, our teams are forced to return and even if we disconnect the supply, the people reconnect it within minutes,” he said.