Cesc in trouble in Mandya, ` 441.3 crore bills pending

The Mandya division of Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (Cesc) is reeling under a financial crisis, owing to the accumulation of pending bills amounting to a whooping Rs 441.3 crore in Mandya district.

To make matters worse, the State government itself is a major defaulter, with various department of the district, owing close to 95 per cent of the bill amounts to Cesc. Of the Rs 441.3 crore, Rs 216 crore is the cost of the power supplied to irrigation pumpsets by the State government, since 2008.  Other pending bills include Rs 91.27 crore for supplying power under various drinking water schemes to gram panchayats and Rs 56.36 crore for supplying power to streetlights. Though the State government is providing 60 per cent of the funds for power bills, the GPs have failed to remit the same to Cesc, periodically.

Cesc is yet to recover Rs 23.13 crore from domestic connections, Rs 42.87 crore of the power used for drinking water supply in the city, Rs 1.15 crore from industries and Rs 52 lakh from commercial establishments. 

Apart from this, Rs 1.76 lakh from lift irrigation projects, Rs 4.53 lakh from government hospitals along with non-payment of power bills under various schemes like Bhagyajyothi and others, have added to list of pending bills.

Among Maddur, Mandya,  Nagamangala and Pandavapura divisions of Cesc in the district, Maddur tops the list of defaultors. In Maddur, Cesc is yet to recover Rs 6.65 crore, Rs 1.30 crore from Pandavapura, Rs 65.83 lakh from Mandya division and Rs 7.42 lakh from Nagamangala.

Pending bills 32 years old

Thirty two villages from Maddur taluk have not paid the bills amounting to Rs two crore since 1982.

Villagers at Gejjalagere, Koppa, Besagarahalli, Kesthur, Mudagere, Kodihalli, Sollepura, K Honnalagere, B Hosahalli, Chikkonahalli, Pannedoddi and others have stopped paying electricity bills ever since two farmers of the districts lost their lives in the golibar incident during a protest held in the year 1982.

 The villagers who revolted against the incident have continued their protest by not paying electricity bills till date.

Incidents of assault on the officials who had gone to collect the bills have been reported from the villages. Hence, no officials visit the villages seeking payment of pending bills. An initiative by Cesc, urging for defaultors to pay the bills in easy installments too did not bear fruit.

Cesc officials said that notices have been served and handbills have been distributed stressing the residents to pay the electricity bills. If they fail, power supply would be disconnected to the villages with the help of police, they added.