Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): If you are a government employee in Kashmir, clear your electricity and water bills before you plan your next month's budget.
At least two district administrations -- Baramulla and Anantnag -- have issued orders directing the drawing and disbursal officers to release February 2024 salaries only after verifying that government employees have cleared water or electricity dues.
The orders came around the same time the Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited (KPDCL) appealed to all district commissioners in the valley to link the disbursement of government employees' salaries with the clearance of outstanding electricity bills. KPDCL said the move aimed at bolstering revenue realization and ensuring timely payment of electricity dues.
A communication from KPDCL emphasized the importance of adherence to past practices and stated, "...to ensure Government revenue realization recovery fixed for the current financial year, it is requested to your jurisdiction to draw & disburse the salary of Government employees working in the district(s) only after the clearance of electricity dues." The directive also extends to contractors, who are urged to settle their power bills before receiving payments for development works.
KPDCL believes that this measure will contribute significantly to achieving revenue targets and securing the Union Territory exchequer. In a relevant diktat, Deputy Commissioner Anantnag, Syeed Fakhrudin Hamid Saturday ordered salary disbursal among all government employees of the district only after they clear their pending electricity and water bills. The administration in north Kashmir's Baramulla district issued similar orders.
Meanwhile, Mussarat Islam, Managing Director of Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited, chaired a meeting with all Sub Divisional Officers (SDOs) of KPDCL to evaluate feeder-wise Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses in the Kashmir Division. The meeting, attended by Chief Engineer, Distribution, Kashmir, Er. Sandeep Seth, SEs of all O&M Circles, and Executive Engineers of all Electric Divisions, focused on strategies to reduce AT&C losses, improve smart metering saturation, and enhance billing and collection efficiency.
During the session, MD KPDCL issued standing directions to all SDOs to implement measures to decrease AT&C losses and visibly enhance smart metering saturation. The MD also instructed the disconnection of power for consumers who fail to settle their outstanding electricity dues.
To address power pilferage, especially hooking, the MD issued express directions to SDOs to collaborate with Project Executing Agencies for the charging of already-installed LT-AB cables and the shifting of smart meters from bare conductors. In the meeting, MD Mussarat Islam was apprised that 26,746 consumers were disconnected in January 2024 for non-payment of electricity dues. Additionally, Rs. 7.50 crore was collected in penalties from consumers engaged in unauthorized power theft.
KPDCL has intensified its disconnection drives against consumers with outstanding electricity dues across all divisions. The Chief Engineer (Distribution) stressed zero tolerance for power theft and revenue default, directing SDOs to escalate disconnection drives against consumers with significant outstanding dues.
SEs of all six Circles were advised to analyze the performance of SDOs and take corrective measures to improve the AT&C index, reflecting the commitment of KPDCL to efficient power distribution and revenue management.
Read More
