Imphal, January 24: Intent on augmenting the revenue drive, Chief Minister O Ibobi has today instructed the officials of the Power Department to notify all the Government Depts to pay up their outstanding power tariff.

This instruction was issued during a Revenue meeting today evening.

According to a well placed source in the CM's Secretariat, the revenue target by way of recovering outstanding power tariff for the year 2004-05 has been pegged at Rs 61.12 crores.

However till date the Power Dept has been able to collect only Rs 47 crores as power tariff.

To ensure that the revenue collection drive does not fall short of the stated target, the Chief Minister issued the instructions to recover the outstanding dues from all the Govt Departments, informed the source.

Till August last year the outstanding dues to be paid by different Government Departments stood at Rs 17.6 crores.

Out of this PHED alone owes Rs 7 crores, said the source adding that IFCD and YAS together have to pay more than Rs 1 crore as power tax.

The outstanding dues owed by the Govt Departments may touch the Rs 20 crore mark by March this year, added the source.

On the other hand the dues to be recovered from the public as power tariff is over Rs 120 crores.

Strict instructions have been issued to launch a tax collection drive from the public.

Employees of the Power Dept have also told in no uncertain terms to get tough and disconnect the power supply of all major defaulters.

The meeting also decided to launch a drive to check the meter box installed at the consumers' residences and to set right all defective meters.

Consumers without meters will also be made to install the same, said the source.

The Chief Minister also stressed on the need to check loss of energy during transmission and asked the Power Dept officials to do the necessary to check the huge loss.

Comment