Sardarpur: Madhya Pradesh West Zone Electricity Distribution Company (west discom) has issued recovery notices to 38 village panchayats that fall under Sardarpur janpad panchayat of Dhar district.
Out of 38 village panchayats, west discom has sent final recovery notice to 27 panchayats asking to clear pending dues of Rs 21.22 lakh before March 31 failing which their power connection will be cut off.
According to information, west discom has to recover Rs 22,64,720 from 38 village panchayats including Rs 21.22 lakh from 27 village panchayat and Rs 1.42 lakh from 11 village panchayats for electricity used in street lights, water pumps.
The west discom officials have also met janpad panchayat CEO Shailendra Sharma and asked to issue instructions to village panchayats for clearance of dues. Following this, CEO Sharma has issued directives to 38 village panchayats, saying that the government has released funds to all panchayats. With this amount, village panchayats should clear their dues.
This is not the first time when senior officials have warned village panchayats of action if they fail to clear electricity dues. On January 20, 2021, additional chief secretary Manoj Shrivastava of Panchayat and Rural Development Department had asked all the village panchayats to clear dues on or before January 31, 2021. He had said that janpad panchayat CEO and district panchayat CEO will be held responsible if dues are not cleared.
The Panchayat Rural Development Department had also warned of action against village panchayat head separately for not paying the dues. But even three months after the orders, neither district panchayats nor janpad panchayats have deposited electricity bill amount.
Assistant engineer incharge Sujit Kumar Mishra said there is no option other than to snap electricity connections if 37 village panchayats donít pay bills.
