Plans are afoot to increase revenue collection by Power Department. Power Department is a losing department. This will continue to be a burden to the Government. Because the people of Manipur have not inculcated the good habit of clearing tax in time and regularly. Chief Minister O. Ibobi, who is also in charge of Power Department has rightly stated that the extension of pre paid system at the areas where there are large number of consumers will check power theft. Ever since pre paid system was introduced in some areas of the state capital the collection of tax has increased manifold and use of electricity too had been minimised. In the past where one bulb would serve the purpose five to six bulbs were used. Pay a visit to Paona Bazar and Thangal bazaar. You will see the bulbs with high watts had been replaced by led bulb having 10 or 15 watts. Even the fans too had been kept inert without wheeling. Energy has been saved and the revenue collection had been increased. However in spite of the tall claim made by the Government to increase power supply the men assigned the task of performing duty have different idea quite diametric to the original plan of the Government. They do not feel at all the need for sending meter readers to the houses of consumers. If meter readers do not prepare bills and leave it to the consumers to do the task of meter reading how will the dream materialise? What is happening at Uripok is consumers themselves do the meter reading and prepare the bill by themselves. Many have not cleared bills for the energy used. When the cumulative bill has crossed four figures no consumer will be to clear the bill. After all hard earned money cannot be given away easily. Subsequently they have to indulge in power theft. Who is responsible for all these misdeeds? The blame will naturally fall on the concerned department for it has not performed its duty of sending meter readers to the houses of consumers. The matter is serious. It should be looked into by the higher authority. We all agree that meter readers might be ridiculed when they go to the houses for doing the task of meter reading. The number of such persons throwing abusive languages to the meter readers might be very few. There are thousand others, who want the bills be delivered in time. If the authority is thinking of outsourcing the task of meter reading to the private organisations nothing wrong with that as long as the task is done regularly on monthly basis. Something must be done to enhance the revenue of the state.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/revenue-collection/
