No govt ration in UP if one fails to pay electricity bills

Jaunpur: The District magistrate (DM) of Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh (UP) on Wednesday handed out an unprecedented application which states if one fails to pay the electricity bills, he/she cannot avail any facility which falls under the welfare scheme of the government. This would include distribution of subsidised ration.

The letter (ef2162 dated 18/09/19) of the DM, Arvind Mallapa Bangari insructs all key officials of the district administration not to entertain residents from October 1 by the state government, if they fail to produce the 'remit paid slip' of electricity bill.

The order explains that the state which has been suffering from power crisis has taken a turn for the worse. One of the major reason for which is the non-payment of electricity dues by the customers.

The order, however, has become a point of contention as it deprives citizens of their basic rights including the PM housing scheme or processing documents like birth certificate or driving license.

Gaurav Verma, chief development officer (CDO), of Jaunpur says that the implementation of this rule will only improve the financial condition of UP power corporation, news agency IANS reported.

Other districts in UP like Gorakhpur have implemented the scheme in order to recover electricity dues.