SHILLONG, Jan 30 ? With the outstanding power-bills of the North East States due to North Eastern Electrical Power Corporation (NEEPCO) touching a staggering Rs 1395 crore, the NEEPCO has threatened to regulate power supply of the defaulting States. While the axe is likely to fall on all the States in the region in due course, action is initially expected to be taken against Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura as these States are yet to come forward to settle their dues, NEEPCO sources revealed.
The biggest defaulter, however, is Assam with the Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) owing over Rs 912.96 crore. Till September 2001, the power-bill of the State was Rs 831.38 crore. From October 2001 to March 2002, the State consumed additional worth Rs 70.74 crore. The power-bill increased by another Rs 10.82 crore during April-December, 2002. The settlement of dues of the State Electricity Boards upto September 2001 will be governed as per the ongoing securitisation schemes initiated by Government of India. Under the scheme, a trip title agreement involving the Ministry of Power, Government of India, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the concerned State has to be executed for getting the benefit of the scheme. It is understood that the ASEB and the Department of Power of Nagaland have initiated actions for executing the agreement which is why these States are not being penalised.
Leading the list of defaulters is Manipur with Rs 176.17 crore, following by Tripura Rs 98.28 crore, Nagaland Rs 82.75 crore, Mizoram Rs 65.62 crore, McSEB (Meghalaya) Rs 31.37 crore and Arunachal Pradesh Rs 27.76 crore. Last year also, the NEEPCO had threatened to stop power-supply to the defaulting power-consuming States in the region but it did not materialise as the States promised to clear their dues in instalment. NEEPCO presently meets about 50 per cent of the power requirement of the region but is now facing a severe financial crunch as the beneficiary States have been continuing to default in making payments. As a result, NEEPCO has also defaulted in making payment for gas purchased for the gas-based power stations at Kathalguri and Agartala.
Consequently, the gas supplier is regulating supply of gas to the two gas-based power stations resulting in loss of generation of power and the worsening power-crisis in the North Eastern region. NEEPCO sources said that recently the Government of India had introduced a scheme of securitisation for clearing the past outstanding dues and huge incentives were offered to States that availed of the scheme. However, most of the North East States are yet to participate in the securitisation scheme.