‘Govt buys power units for Rs. 9, sells at Rs. 4’
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Officers of Power Development Department (PDD) including Superintendent Engineer, Executive Engineers Division 1, 2 and 3 along with AEEs, JEs and others ON Monday briefed the Jammu Mayor, Rajinder Sharma on the issues of hefty power bills, fast running meters and filling of bills online using the app.
Chairing the meeting, the Mayor directed that there will be Ward-wise camps organised by PDD to aware the public on using app for filling power bills. “When you talk to people please talk with good behaviour,” said Mayor.
He said that the concerned Councillor of the Ward will use the services of garbage collecting auto to inform the people on days of the camp in a particular Ward.
Sharma instructed that the Executive Engineers will have helpline in their office to give information to the public how to fill bills. “For those who cannot fill the bill will seek the help of their Councillor,” he continued.
On excess reading on newly installed power meters, the Mayor said that a check meter shall be installed near the new meters for cross checking the readings. Regarding hefty power bills. the Mayor said that the flat rate plus 18 per cent interest was billed to be collected from the public.
He appealed to the LG that average of the last six months should be taken as principal amount for payments by calculating to a nominal amount like Rs. 2500 which should be collected per month along with the current bills so that the public may not feel the burden. The Mayor appealed to the people to pay bills on time.
He said that J&K today has Rs. 31000 crore liability of electricity of which Rs. 3000 crore is added every year and Rs. 50 crore is annual interest. “The government buys power units for Rs. 9 and sells it at Rs. 4 to the public. So the subsidy is already there,” Sharma maintained adding that it is a serious issue and it’s everybody’s responsibility to give it a serious thought.
