| Harsh Dev alleges immunity to power defaulters, persecution of honest consumers | | |  Early Times Report
JAMMU, July 25: In a shocking revelation, Harsh Dev Singh, Former Minister & State President of JKNPP, has accused the Power Development Department of granting immunity to big defaulters with outstanding power dues while persecuting honest consumers who diligently pay their bills. According to an RTI reply received by Singh, several illegal occupants of government quarters, especially those belonging to the BJP, have failed to pay their power bills amounting to lakhs of rupees. Surprisingly, the government has taken no action to evict them or recover the hefty arrears.
The defaulters, despite non-payment of their substantial bills, have been allowed to enjoy uninterrupted power supply through specially laid power lines. Additionally, the department has waived off significant amounts of power tariff owed by influential individuals while serving vague and misleading notices to several honest and regular payers of power tariffs, alleged Harsh Dev.
Singh expressed concern over a serious discrepancy in the arrears shown against his name. A sum of Rs. 4288/- was falsely depicted as pending power dues in respect of Estates Quarter No.6-A Gandhi Nagar Jammu. He clarified that he had cleared all dues related to the said Estate Quarter in November 2019 when he vacated the premises, obtaining a 'No Demand Certificate' (NDC) from both the Estates and Power Development Department. Circulating false information and associating his name with outstanding dues was defamatory and libellous, Singh asserted.
In response to the wrongful publication, Harsh Dev Singh issued a notice to the Power Department, holding them liable for damaging his credibility. As an honest and upright politician, he expressed his determination to uphold high moral values and vowed to fight any attempt to tarnish his reputation, both legally and politically. The notice, addressed to XEN Electric Division No-II Jammu, demanded a corrected statement, an apology letter from the Power Development Department, and compensation of Rs. 5 crore for the slanderous act.
The allegations made by Harsh Dev Singh have raised serious concerns about transparency and fairness in the handling of power dues and have called for an investigation into the immunity granted to defaulters while persecuting honest payers. |
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