Dues not paid by govt, Mizoram staring at power crisis

A power crisis in Mizoram is looming large as two of six public sector utilities may start regulating supply to the state, if the government, which is currently facing a

A power crisis in Mizoram is looming large as two of six public sector utilities may start regulating supply to the state, if the government, which is currently facing a fund crunch, is not able to pay a part of Rs 130 crore outstanding dues to these companies, a minister said on Wednesday.

The outstanding dues to power utilities have risen as the government could not receive its share of funds from the Centre, state power and electricity minister R Lalzirliana said.

Mizoram purchases about 85 per cent of power from six PSUs – North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), ONGC Tripura Power Company (OTPC), Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd and Tripura Power Generation Ltd (TPGL).

Two utilities – NEEPCO and NHPC – have written letters to the power department, requesting it to pay dues amounting to more than Rs 44 crore.

“If the amount is not paid by the due date, the two companies will encash the letter of credit as part of payment security mechanism for dues which are outstanding for more than 45 days,” an official said.

The outstanding dues payable by the department to the six PSUs stood at Rs 133.38 crore, the minister said, adding that Mizoram consumes about 107-megawatt power during peak hours.

“The dues to NEEPCO now stand at Rs 59.27 crore, Rs 33.72 crore to NTPC, Rs 1.45 crore to NHPC, Rs 12.34 crore to PGCIL, Rs 19.88 crore to OTPC and Rs 6.72 crore to TPGL, the official said.

On average, the state government used to spend Rs 32- 33 crore monthly to purchase power, he added. PTI

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