Company officials say it is on the brink of bankruptcy and cannot afford to be lenient any longer. Implementation of sixth pay commission and rejection of its demand to increase tariff sharply has made things quite difficult for the company. Claiming losses, most farmers in Vidarbha as well as in other parts of Maharashtra do not pay their electricity bills. Of the 5.55 lakh agricultural pumps in the region, 4.81 lakh (a staggering 86.67%) have arrears. The tendency to not pay is more prevalent in west Vidarbha.
MSEDCL executive director Anil Khaparde told TOI that the company had disconnected 1.30 lakh agricultural pumps (23.4% of the total) in Vidarbha so far. The drive had been intensified from October 21. It had reconnected 34,132 pumps after some owners paid a part of the dues. The company had disconnected 22 feeders from substation thus switching off 5,235 pumps and 4,783 distribution transformers affecting 89,260 pumps.
Khaparde said that MSEDCL was ready to reconnect even if farmers agreed to pay the current bill on time. "The farmers have to pay only 20 paise per unit for metered connections. The difference between actual tariff and the levied one is paid to us by state government.
If farmers are not ready to pay for cheap power then we have no option. "We understand that many farmers are poor but those opposing the drive must understand that MSEDCL is neck deep in the red. Our deficit has increased to Rs 4,000 crore. It is increasing by around Rs 200 crore every month. If it goes up further we will simply have to close down the company and this is not a hollow threat," the executive director said.
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