Unpaid Power Bills by Government Employees in Kashmir to Result in Salary Deductions
Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited has written to the DCs to release salaries of government employees and pay contractors only after their pending electricity bills are cleared
Unable to realise set annual revenue targets and often facing flak for long daily power curtailments, Kashmir’s power distribution corporation has set its eyes on government employees and contractors for improving its revenue collection.
Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL), in a post on X, said it has written to the deputy commissioners of various districts to release salaries of government employees and pay contractors only after their pending electricity bills are cleared. It also urged all the government employees of Kashmir Division to clear their pending power bills in a subsequent post.
The employees will have to produce bill payment receipts to get their salaries from February onwards. Some districts have already initiated action in wake of the communication, while others are expected to follow suit.
Anantnag deputy commissioner Syeed Fakhruddin Hamid issued a circular saying the district treasury officer shall entertain salary bills for the month of February 2024 only after obtaining certificate from the district disbursing office.
“It has come to the notice of the office of the undersigned that there is huge outstanding/pending electricity and water tax dues against various government employees posted within the territorial jurisdiction of Anantnag. All the employees should understand the critical importance of paying electricity and water bills on time to avoid disruptions and maintain reputation,” he said in the communication.
The union territory has over 5 lakh government employees of which half are believed to be working in the Himalayan valley.
The KPDCL, meanwhile, has also launched a massive drive to check pilferage of power and also a disconnection drive against consumers with pending dues.
This winter, the KPDCL faced intense criticism over the worsening power crisis in Kashmir valley amid bone chilling temperatures this winter. The valley faced unscheduled power outages over and above the 4.5 to 8 hour per day curtailment schedule issued in October.
The UT administration spends over ₹31,000 crore per year to purchase electricity from the Northern Grid to augment the local supply. However, the low discharge in rivers owing to less precipitation this year had led to decline in local power production causing the power deficit.
