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| VVIP power defaulters of J&K; Asia, Ritz Manor, Jhelum Resorts, Hari Niwas, Tramboos | | Crorepati owe crores to PDD! | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
Jammu, Jan 24: Despite Chief Minister Omar Abdullah looking after the Power portfolio; high profile, politically well-connected and VVIP defaulters of Power Development Department (PDD) receive bouquets while the official might is exhausted on the commoners.
PDD dues worth more than Rs. 54 crore are pending with various hotels, factories, industrial units and commercial houses. PDD has served a notice to the defaulters on August 17, 2012 asking them to either deposit the default money or else, the power connection would be disconnected. Shockingly, the same which has allowed VVIP defaulters to deposit pending dues within two weeks does not waste a second in disconnecting power connection of commoners.
Among the defaulters are seven top hotels of Jammu city. Owned by politically well-connected and influential business houses, these include Hotel Hari Niwas Palace (Rs. 83.34 Lakh), Hotel Ashok (Rs. 21.80 Lakh), Hotel Asia (Rs. 20.07 Lakh), Hotel Muskan (Ritz Manor) (Rs. 15.52 Lakh), Hotel Kranti (Rs. 22.56 Lakh), Hotel Jhelum Resorts (Rs. 15.92 Lakh) and Hotel Jewel (Rs. 18.57 Lakh). Ask the PDD and they would tell you that most of these cases are sub-Judice and till the time, a decision does not come, nothing can be done i.e. the Power connection cannot be disconnected.
What surprises the most is that Renuka Food Process alongwith Tejas Metals (Rs. 1.10 crore), K.P. Papers (Rs. 1.15 crore), Jammu and Kashmir Pulp, Paper private limited (Rs. 1.28 crore) Bhim Raj (Rs. 1.07 crore), Sagar Singh (Rs. 1.03 crore) and Sita Ram (Rs. 1.77 crore) owe PDD crores of rupees and if the sources are to be believed, the dues have accumulated over the years and reached above Rs. 1 crore. Reports are that power has not been disconnected in any of the above crorepati cases.
Again, PDD states that the cases are sub-Judice and hence, they cannot precede against these high profile power defaulters. In Kashmir valley, power defaulters are essentially those who enjoy proximity with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and the ones about whom, the CM once remarked "They never come to me to seek favors. They are best in the industry." The biggest power thieve in Kashmir valley is owner of Valley cement Khrew. He owes PDD more than Rs. 2.60 crore.
He is closely followed by JK Mineral Woyen which has to pay PDD Rs. 2.60 crore. Fill Industries, which owes PDD Rs. 1.88 crore, is the third biggest defaulter followed closely by Tramboo Cement Industries (Rs. 1.50 crore) and Tramboo Joinery Mill (Rs. 93 Lakh). Greenland Cements Woyen has not paid Rs. 60 lakh to PDD while Rs. 32.86 is pending with Salfia Stone Crusher Anantnag. Barkat Cement Industry and Barkat Gas Industry together owe PDD Rs. 51.28 crore.
Overall, the VVIP customers of PDD owe the department a whooping Rs. 29.96 crore in Jammu region. In Kashmir, the default amount has touched Rs. 13.91 crore. If the default is taken into account division wise, Parade Canal division has been unable to clear the default of Rs. 43.74 Lakh followed by Parade 3 (Rs. 1.53 crore), Greenbelt (Rs. 2.29 crore), Shastri Nagar (Rs. 8.99 crore), Miran Sahib (Rs. 31.65 Lakh), Canal (Rs. 25.76 Lakh), Janipur (Rs. 3.24 crore), Jourian (Rs. 17.76 Lakh), Samba (Rs. 15.73 crore), Bari Brahmna (Rs. 36.62 Lakh, Kathua (Rs. 3.36 crore), Hiranagar (Rs. 80.57 Lakh), Udhampur (Rs. 18.26 Lakh) and Katra (Rs. 1.76 crore).
In Kashmir region, ED First Srinagar has to clear a default of Rs. 2. 66 crore, EM and RE Division-II Srinagar (Rs. 2.41 crore), EM and RE Division-III (Rs. 23.99 Lakh), EM and RE Division-Budgam (Rs. 36.95 Lakh), EM and RE Division-Awantipora (Rs. 7.52 crore), EM and RE Division-Anantnag (Rs. 46.03 Lakh) and Army Goodwill School (Rs. 24.44). According to officials of PDD, defaulters have been asked to liquidate balance electricity charges within two weeks' time failing which their installations shall be disconnected without further notice. They maintain that supply shall not be reconnected unless the consumer deposits the past dues. However, after consumer deposits past dues, installation shall be reconnected within two days as prescribed under regulation 8.12 of J&K SERC Supply Code Regulation, 2011. |
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