The much touted One Time Settlement (OTS scheme for defaulters trotted out by the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) last November (after the lockdown period) is allegedly just one more scam to benefit industrialists who have still not paid their electricity bills for years and are leeching on the beleaguered power corporation.
Many industrial units are still defaulting on crores of rupees even after availing of the OTS which was announced for electricity bills pending till March 2020 by which they received 30 per cent waiver of their respective total outstanding dues .
Yet electricity supply to these industrial units was not disconnected for defaulting even after availing the OTS. This makes the OTS illegal, alleged insiders.
“OTS is to be given to defaulters who have been disconnected. They are given a chance to clear their dues and get connected again or in the event they don’t pay their bills legal action is the next step to be taken,” said sources.
But under the MeECL bosses, the OTS is only benefiting the big industrial defaulters by continuing to supply them with power even after they stopped paying their monthly power bills.
Compare this with what happens to ordinary consumers who defaulted on outstanding of a few thousand rupees. They are not even allowed to make part payment of their bills now, said sources.
Sources also said that the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of MeECL had issued an order stopping this meager support extended to ordinary consumers who have trouble paying their bills for some reason or the other.
At the high end of these defaulters of OTS and still being given a benevolent long rope by the MeECL bosses are units like the JUD Cement Ltd and the units of Shree Sai Prakash Alloys Pvt Ltd, among others.
JUD Cement Ltd power bill till March 2020 totalled Rs. 24,32,37,457. According to the OTS, after availing of the 30 per cent waiver of total outstanding bill the cement company’s liability is reduced to about Rs.17.23 crores. The company paid an amount of Rs.1.75 crore.
According to the terms of the OTS, the company has to pay the remaining Rs.16.48 crore in an installment of three months if not a onetime payment.
Shree Sai Prakash Alloys Pvt Ltd on meter HT 33 owed the MeECL till March 2020 a total amount of Rs.19.92 crore. After availing 100 per cent waiver of Default Payment Charges and assuring payment the unit did not pay a single paise.
On the other unit of Shree Sai Prakash Alloys Pvt Ltd on meter HT33A amounting to a total amount of Rs.17.76 crore, after availing of 30 percent waiver from total outstanding amount, the factory owners paid Rs.1.50 crore. But it failed to clear anything more than this.
The company is yet to be disconnected of power supply for defaulting even on the OTS.
The grouse is that these industries are still being allowed to draw power by the MeECL even after being given rebates under the OTS.
“Even after they have defaulted on the OTS, they are still given free rein to rake up their power bills, which is astounding to say the least,” said a source wondering who will foot these bills in the end if not the ordinary consumers who will have to suffer blackouts and load-shedding because the MeECL cannot pay the corporate suppliers of power like the NTPC etc.
Besides, it was pointed out these are not new bills but the accumulation of years of unpaid power bills. But the big defaulters are still not interested in clearing their dues, which is the only way that the financial position of the floundering MeECL can be steadied a bit.
It is said that OTS has been allegedly twisted to benefit a few people. The MeECL notification issued on November 4, 2020 said that the “The Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Limited (MePDCL) announces the ‘MepDCL One Time Settlement scheme, 2020’ for all the categories of defaulting consumers (including permanently disconnected consumers) to recover long outstanding dues of electricity bills as on 31st March 2020, on the following terms and conditions that the One Time Settlement (OTS) Scheme will be valid from 1st November 2020 to 31st January 202l. Consumers can avail 100 per cent waiver of the delayed payment charges (DPC) or 30 per cent waiver of the total outstanding dues, whichever is more beneficial for the consumer.”
Here it is pointed out that the fact that the MeECL has a category of consumers (basically the industry owners) who are allowed to continue with “long outstanding dues” is itself a revelation of the unprofessional and irregular management of the state power company.
It is emphasised that the OTS scheme cannot be dragged with big industrial defaulters being given rebates and discounts time and again. It is also pointed out that many of the industrial units had already availed of similar waiver of DPC charges in earlier years, it is alleged.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that the MeECL board of directors had decided to extend the OTS up to March 31, 2021 for all categories of consumers with the warning that this time if the consumers fail to pay their dues by then their power will be disconnected, sources said. However, no notification of this has been made till date.
