8.12 lakh consumers in Nashik district owe Rs 111.62 crore to power utility

NASHIK: A total of 8.12 lakh Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) customers across the district owe as much as Rs 111.62 crore to the state power utility.
"The duration of default ranges from one to multiple months and it also includes power consumers whose connections have been temporarily or permanently disconnected," an MSEDCL official said.
The MSEDCL has now decided to launch a special drive for recovery of dues and is going to use the threat of immediate disconnection of power supply to force people to make the payments.
"There are 8.12 lakh consumers across the district who owe Rs 111.62 crore collectively. We have decided to resort to zero-tolerance and snap power supply if bills are not cleared," a senior official said.
The Nashik district is divided into two circles - Nashik and Malegaon - that are further divided into various divisions. Nashik city 2 division, which is a part of Nashik Circle and the rural areas surrounding the city, has the highest number of consumers who have not cleared the dues. "There are 2.60 lakh consumers from Nashik City 2 division and they owe Rs 30.49 crore to the state power utility," the official said.
The second highest defaulters are from Malegaon City of Malegaon Circle where 1.08 lakh consumers owe Rs 25.08 crore. Kalwan division has the lowest number of defaulters - 20,537 consumers owing Rs 1.86 crore.
"Residential, commercial and industrial, all types of consumers have not cleared their dues to the MSEDCL. This does not include the outstanding with the farmers. Currently, we are only focusing on recovery of dues from these three types of consumers," he added.
There are 2.1 lakh consumers in Malegaon Circle who owe Rs 35.43 crore and there are 6.02 lakh in Nashik Circle who owe Rs 76.19 crore.
The MSEDCL official claimed that the company had taken up initiatives to bring in transparency and help the consumers to monitor their meter readings from time to time which further help the consumers getting the correct bills.
"Yet there are consumers who fail to clear their dues and this is affecting the revenue collection," he said.
"Usually our men ask people if they have paid the bill and wait for a day or two. Also, in case of disconnection, the power supply is immediately restored. Now, we have instructed our staff to first disconnect the supply and restore the same only after the bill and the fine is paid and a proper receipt is received. This process usually takes up to 24 hours," the official added.