MSEDCL needs to be made financially viable and for that everyone needs to pay their electricity bills, said state energy minister Nitin Raut both the houses of the Legislative Assembly, adding that the stay granted on disconnection of outstanding customers is being lifted.
According to reports, the total outstanding of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Corporation Limited (MSEDCL) has risen to INR 71,506 crores as of December 2020, up from INR 59,833 crores as on March 2020.
On Wednesday, the stay granted by Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on disconnection of electricity supply of defaulting farmers and local residents was lifted.
Raut said that the MSEDCL is a public company and it is our collective responsibility to save it from further financial vulnerability and so we must all co-operate and pay the outstanding bills.
The government has already announced incentives for people who pay their bills on time, relief will be provided to consumers who pay their bills under the scheme, said the minister.
On March 2, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had announced that the Maharashtra government will not disconnect the power supply to farmers or other domestic consumers who failed to repay their bills.
The Leader of Opposition and former CM Devendra Fadnavis had raised the issue in the assembly, stating that there is a lot of anger among people across the state over the inflated electricity bills. Lakhs of people have received notices for power supply disconnection, he said.
Fadnavis left no stones unturned to attack the ruling government. Without naming Nitin Raut, Fadnavis said the energy minister had earlier talked about giving relief to lockdown-hit consumers, but instead power tariff was increased.
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