Ravinder Saini
Tribune News Service
Rohtak, 14 October
A recent report has revealed that 46,852 consumers of Rohtak circle have been using electricity for the last several months without paying the bills of Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN). There is an outstanding of Rs 47,233 lakh against him till August 31.
It is worth noting that the local offices of some government and semi-government departments also come in the list of non-payers. UHBVN officials are now preparing to disconnect the electricity connections of these defaulters as they have not responded despite repeated requests for payment. Rohtak circle superintending engineer (UHBVN) Ashok Kumar Yadav said: “Defaulters are advised to clear their dues at the earliest otherwise their electricity connections will be disconnected soon.”
Sources said that out of 46,852 non-payers, 43,097 fall in the domestic category, 2,498 non-domestic, 445 agricultural, 104 industrial and 708 in the government and semi-government category.
“About 80 per cent (37,081) of these non-payers are home users living in rural areas. Out of the total amount, Rs 26,584 lakh is due to domestic users, Rs 18,317 lakh to industrial consumers, Rs 1,847 lakh to government and semi-government units, Rs 463 lakh to non-domestic consumers.
An official said the Covid situation was one of the major reasons behind the non-payment. The pandemic had affected private job holders, shopkeepers, industrialists and many others as business establishments were closed for a long time due to the Covid-induced lockdown.