THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, April 4: The electricity supply of the Nilamber Pitamber University has been disconnected following a huge outstanding dues worth more than 11 lakhs of rupees.
There is no official electricity service connection to this university at its new location where this university moved in from the Zila Parishad guest house in Daltonganj to its Kautaliya Bhavan on the campus of the GLA college in 2023.
The construction agency under the aegis of the Jharkhand State Building Construction Corporation Limited (JSBCCL) is having power supply for its own use wherein the university is chipping in for its use also which is a proxy utility of the electricity by all definitions and standards.
Authorities Justify Disconnection Over Non-Payment
Assistant engineer of electricity, Daltonganj Urban, A K Bakshi told this correspondent, “This university has till date not applied for the service connection. It must apply for the service connection first.”
“Again the agency/university as both have consumed electricity should clear the outstanding dues worth more than 11 lakhs as only then service connection will be made available to the university” added Bakshi.
He further said, “The electricity officials took to the disconnection of the power supply as the last resort when the construction agency/ university continued to sit over the bills.”
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Executive engineer of electricity, Santosh Kumar, on being contacted said, “The construction agency took power connection from us. Such a huge construction can’t be carried out without the electricity.”
“When came the month of March the electricity officials noticed the construction agency to pay the bill worth more than 11 lakhs of rupees. It was our most legitimate approach,” added the executive engineer of electricity.
Blame Game Between University and Construction Agency
Now the construction agency is taking an alibi to further delay the payment of the outstanding dues making forward to its claim that the university has been a constant user of electricity in all these period of time and hence the payment of the outstanding dues is to be done by the university itself.
This contention of the construction agency is not only deceptive but aims at putting the university and the electricity department at loggerheads.
Executive engineer of electricity Santosh Kumar said, “We were very liberal when we asked the construction agency to start paying 3 lakhs of rupees first in March which the construction agency not only overlooked but remained unbothered about the outstanding dues.”
The attitude of the construction agency towards the payment of the huge dues is not only of dilly-dallying but also undermines the notice of the electricity department.
Santosh Kumar made it very clear saying, “Our department has all the rights to ask for the payment of the huge dues.”
“It’s between the construction agency and the university to resolve its own tussle or hitch which is none of our issue at all as our prime task is to collect our dues in respect of the electricity consumed,” reiterated the executive engineer of electricity.
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“We are only concerned that bills of electricity consumed must be paid without any more delay,” reminded Santosh Kumar.
The university has no business of passing the buck over to the electricity department for delay in preparing results on account of the disconnection as it’s their lackadaisical approach that has resulted in the disconnection.
“It’s up to the construction agency/ university to find a way out of paying our outstanding dues worth more than 11 lakhs of rupees,” reminded the executive engineer of electricity.
