-SATISH HANDA
Information reveals, nearly 8 lakh increase in the graph of defaulter electricity consumers has been identified in Haryana state in past 15 months due to COVID-19 spread in the state as per records by Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam (HVPN) comprising of NHVPN covering Northern area and SHVPN covering Southern part in the state. The epidemic outbreak adversely affected people as well as industry in the state due to frequent lock down declared by the government as well as severe recession faced by trade and industry as such majority of power consumers failed to deposit electricity bills in this period of value worth Rs 1900 crore which include Rs 800 crore pending against industry, Rs 168 crore pending against farmers and remaining amount pending against domestic power consumers.
According to information, there are total number of 76 lakh electricity consumers in Haryana state which include 23 lakh defaulters to pay pending amount towards electric tariff worth Rs 7000 crore to HVPN which include Rs 2014 crore pending against consumers in NHVPN and Rs 4707 crore pending against consumers in SHVPN. Most of the electricity consumers expressed unable to pay amount of bills due to severe financial crunch faced by them and the number of defaulters fast increasing day by day. Meanwhile, Ranjit Singh Chautala Haryana Power Supply Minister told media persons that settlement scheme has been introduced by HVPN to make payment against pending electricity bills in instalments.
The maximum default amount worth Rs 800 crore have to be recovered by HVPN from industry sector in the state mainly due to different categories including burnt electric meters, closed electric meters, missing electric meters and defective electric meters as such reading could not be taken and HVPN had to issue nearly 3.32 lakh bills to electricity consumers which included 2.14 lakh consumers in NHVPN and 1.18 lakh consumers in SHVPN without having meter reading in month April 2021 when large number of electricity consumers made complaints for receiving higher bills and HVPN taking action to solve such complaints and replace all defective meters.
Information reveals, during physical survey 4234 electric meters were found burnt, 3600 electric meters closed, 7282 electric meters missing, 15823 electric meters defective and 16928 premises were closed in NHVPN area. Similarly, in case of SHVPN area 8370 electric meters were found burnt, 37770 electric meters were closed, 13740 electric meters missing , 7718 electric meters defective and 28973 premises were found closed.
