Industries owe Rs 220 cr to power distribution companies

The industrial consumers numbering 19,417 owed Rs 220.15 crore as outstanding electricity bill to the power distribution companies in the state.

This included Rs 41.98 crore owed to CESU, Rs 122.62 crore to Nesco, Rs 31.05 crore to Wesco and Rs 24.5 crore to Southco as outstanding electricity bills.

While 5273 industrial consumers defaulted in CESU area, 5261 had outstanding dues in Nesco area, 5180 in Wesco area and 3703 in Southco area, said state energy minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak.

The minister said, 15 days notice has been served to 13,066 industries which is more than 67 percent of this category of consumers.

On the other hand, Rs 2125 crore was pending against the domestic consumers in the state.

Both the industrial and domestic consumers are treated at par and there is no relaxation in rules for collection of outstanding electricity dues from the industrial consumers.

As a measure to check power theft in the state, the government has set up eight Energy Police Stations (EPSs) and 26 more EPSs are proposed to be set up in future.

Nayak said, twenty nine applications of various industrial consumers for supply from 132kv and above were pending with the Orissa Power Transmission Corporation of Orissa Ltd. (OPTCL).

The applicants include National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Scan Steel, Shiva Cement, Rana Sponge, Orissa Manganese and Minerals, Aryan Energy, RSB Metalteck Ltd. Cracker India, Deepak Steel and Power,Welspun Power and Steel, Gopalpur Port, Vedanta University, Lanco Solar and Idcol Ferro-chrome among others.

OPTCL is making preparation for establishment of 29 grid sub-stations for supplying power to the upcoming industries and power will be supplied to them in a phased manner subject to availability of load capacity.

The minister said, the Orissa Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) has asked the power distribution companies to modernise the switch gears and cables of at least 20 percent of the sub-stations during the current fiscal.