Korba : Power bill arrears in Korba district have surged to Rs 433 crore, prompting the electricity distribution company to intensify its disconnection drive against defaulting consumers. Over the past one month, power supply of 2,782 consumers has been disconnected for non-payment of dues.
According to the Power Distribution Company, these consumers owed around Rs 12.30 crore in pending bills. Following the action, nearly 1,000 consumers cleared dues amounting to Rs 2.67 crore, while field teams continue disconnection proceedings against the remaining defaulters.
The district is witnessing large-scale replacement of old electricity meters with smart meters at households, commercial establishments and government offices. The contract for installation of smart meters has been awarded to Genus company. However, the prepaid system has not yet been implemented, as recharge plans are still under finalisation. At present, consumers are being issued monthly bills based on actual power consumption.
Power officials said that many consumers have not been paying electricity bills for a long time, leading to a sharp rise in outstanding amounts. To curb this trend, the distribution company has tightened recovery measures. Vigilance teams are also visiting premises of persistent defaulters. Officials, however, admitted that shortage of field staff has affected manual disconnection work.
Smart meters installed in government offices
So far, about 95,000 consumers in the district have been provided with smart meters. In addition, 3,830 government offices across various blocks of Korba district have been equipped with smart prepaid meters. As per the agreement, the contracting company will provide operation and maintenance services for 10 years and will replace faulty meters when required.
The electricity department has also conducted testing of remote disconnection from the control room, though no formal guidelines have yet been issued regarding its implementation.
Confirming the action, B.K. Sarkar, Superintending Engineer, Power Distribution Company, Korba Circle, said that power supply of consumers failing to clear outstanding dues is being disconnected as per norms and the drive will continue.
