Bhubaneswar: The Central Electricity Supply Utility (Cesu) has disconnected power supply to 21,339 default consumers during its special arrear recovery and disconnection drive. It has collected Rs 72.66 crore arrears from the consumers during the drive.
Briefing media persons here Thursday, Cesu’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Arun Bothra said, “As our officials have been tied up for the hectic exercise that last for 18 days, we have decided to take a break of 10 days in our ongoing special arrear recovery and disconnection drive.”
The drive has not been suspended, it has been halted for 10 days and again it will resume from February 16, he clarified. Bothra thanked Cesu consumers and all stakeholders for cooperating in the drive.
Since beginning of the drive, a total of 21,339 disconnections have taken place, out of which power supply has been restored to 9,341 premises after full or partial payment of arrears, he said.
On an average, 480 special disconnection squads were carrying out this special drive in all the 247 sections and touched the premises of 1, 62,801 defaulting establishments /premises falling under commercial, industrial and high value domestic category. The drive was conducted in all the 20 divisions of Cesu in a peaceful manner, he pointed out.
During this period, the CEO said, the Cesu has received applications for revision of energy bills from 35,277 consumers while 1, 00,694 consumers have submitted their requests for paying their arrears in instalments. “Therefore, we have decided to address the grievances of these 35,277 consumers during the 10-day break,” he said.
A sizeable number of consumers turned up at the collection counters at field offices to foot the electricity bills. A good number of consumers also came to Cesu office here with the requests to revise their bills.
The discom authorities once again appealed to the remaining defaulting consumers to clear their arrears to avoid power disconnection to their establishments.