IMPHAL, Dec 30 UNA : As a New Year gift, the Manipur electricity department is all set to launch a new scheme which a power consumer could get a benefit of 75% reduction of their total power due bill if the due bill is clear within a stipulated time.
The scheme called “Incentive Scheme” will launch on New Year day (January 1) and will be only for two months, that is, upto February 28.
Under the new scheme, if a consumer clears his or her due power bill within this two month period, authority of the power department will give a discount of 75% of the total due bill. The electricity department has a plan to extend the scheme for another one month if good response comes up from the consumers, an official source in the state electricity department said Sunday.
The new scheme will not cover offices under state and Central government, private undertaking, security establishments, autonomous district councils.
As per the source, the new scheme aims at collecting more revenue of the department from the default power consumers. None clearance of power bill by consumers has been a problem in improving the power supply in the state.
The department has a due of over Rs 231.66 crore which would be collected from the regular power consumers and the department is targeting to collect at least Rs 60 crore from the new scheme.
The department is all set to launch the scheme since a proposal for implementation of the new scheme was approved by a cabinet meeting convened on December 3 last under the chair of the chief minister O Ibobi Singh, the source added.
If regular power consumers fail to clear their due bills taking advantage of the new scheme, the department will take necessary action under Electricity Act 2003, the source said.
Power theft and non-clearance of power consumption charge by the consumers has been a real menace to the problem of power loss and the state electricity department has been launching stern drive in different parts of the state excluding the hill districts from the beginning of the year 2012.
The drive has been launched with an objective of solving the power crisis experiencing in the state as at the beginning of this year, overdue electricity bill of Rs 280 crores was with the regular consumers.
During the drive which is continuing till date, unauthorized power lines were disconnected and strict action were taken against the defaulters as per the electricity act.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/new-power-scheme/
