More than 50 power bill defaulters to be arrested

HAZARIBAGH: More than 50 entities in Hazaribagh face arrest for not paying electricity bill dues for at least five years, a state power official said on Sunday.

Many individual households and small scale industries have dues more than Rs 20,000 and had been requested to pay several times, a Jharkhand Urjja Vikas Nigam Limited (JUVNL) official said.

JUVNL had approached the certificate office of the district administration and got notices to the defaulters, but did not get any response.

“We have told the defaulters in writing that their dues are increasing every month. We had also offered installment facility, but they did not pay the dues,” JUVNL (Hazaribagh) general manager Ramesh Thakur said, adding that after finding no other option, they decided to issue arrest warrants.

Officials said the department has handed over a list of more than 50 defaulters having more than `20,000 dues to the police for making the arrests.

“We are in the process of preparing another list of defaulters, who have dues below `20,000,” Thakur added.

We have told the defaulters in writing that their dues are increasing every month. We had also offered installment facility, but they did not pay the dues RAMESH THAKUR, JUVNL GM (Hazaribagh)