Surcharge Waiver Scheme
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: December 05 2012 -

After the initial high spirited disconnection drive which subsequently peters out never to be heard again, the State Electricity Department has come up with an incentive scheme for realization of outstanding dues from defaulting public consumers, which include domestic, commercial, industries, bulk consumers, etc. and to improve the overall revenue collection of the department in the fiscal year.

Under this new scheme, the department would be waiving 75 percent of the surcharge accumulated, provided the defaulting consumers clear their outstanding dues as on August 31, 2012 on a one time basis. The window period for implementation of the scheme would be two months, that is, from January 1 to February 28, 2013.

The consumers intending to avail the scheme have to make one time clearance/liquidation of the full principal amount as on the last billing cycle to get the promised 75 percent incentive (waiver) on the total accumulated surcharge.

The earnestness with which the Electricity Department has pushed for introduction of the new incentive scheme and the promptness of the State Cabinet in giving its green signal to go ahead with implementation of the scheme shows the desperation of the Department as well as the State Government to realize the accumulated power dues and mounting surcharges that hangs like the sword of Damocles on the functioning of the Electricity Department.

In fact, the State Government has been under constraint to find out newer ways and means to realize the outstanding dues from the defaulting consumers after non-clearance of the principal amount during the last few years has risen to Rs 2,31,66 crore and the accumulated surcharge to Rs 80.10 crore as on August 31, 2012 while the existing infrastructure and logistics in the Electricity Department have not been at all ready for the task at hand.

However, one inherent weakness in the new scheme is the over-emphasis on defaulting public consumers including those whose power lines have been disconnected earlier in the drive of the Department while leaving out the State/Central Government offices/semi-Government establishments, banks, military/paramilitary, Public Sector Undertakings/Autonomous District Councils, etc, which are no Caesar's wife when it comes to outstanding electricity bills indebted to the State Government.

To assume that all these State and Central Government offices and establishments have cleared their outstanding dues is pure fallacy.

So, why the poor public, who have always bore the brunt of erratic power supply and mismanagement of the Electricity Department, are being singled out for realizing the outstanding dues?

Why can't the State Government and more particular the Electricity Department come up with scheme that encompasses everyone equally?

Such discrimination and partiality would only sound the death knell of the scheme even before it sees the light of the day.

Mark our words.