Post HC notice, UPPCL in a fix
The UP Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) has got into a bind during the poll time and does not know as to how to deal with the elephant in the room.
The high court has issued a contempt notice to the principle secretary, energy, Sanjay Agrawal and some UPPCL officials for violating its July 5, 2013 order that had held it unconstitutional to supply round-the-clock electricity to a select so-called VIP districts while subjecting other districts to indiscriminate power cuts.
In the contempt notice issued last week, the Allahabad high court has directed Agrawal (also UPPCL chairman) and four other officials who are party to the case, to file an affidavit on compliance of the earlier order within a month, failing which action would be taken against them for contempt of court.
The case has been listed for hearing on May 8.
“However, one more opportunity is granted to the opposite parties to comply with the order within a month. If by the next date, the directions of the court are not complied with and an affidavit to that effect is not filed, the opposite parties shall remain present before this court,” said Justice Vikram Nath on a writ petition moved by Pankaj Kumar Mishra.
The HC in its last year’s order had directed the UPPCL to make equitable distribution of electricity to all consumers without any discrimination, irrespective of place of residences.
The HC bench comprising Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Justice Sunita Agarwal had observed that continuous supply of 24 hours to certain places and cities like Etawah, Mainpuri, Kannauj, Rampur, Sambhal, Rae Bareli and Amethi was arbitrary and illegal. It directed the UPPCL to supply electricity to all the consumers irrespective of place of residence (except the area covered by Taj Trapezium Zone in view of directions of the Supreme Court.)
The UPPCL even moved the Supreme Court seeking relief from the high court judgment but the apex court refused to entertain the plea.
The UPPCL had been finding excuses for not implementing the court order on one or the other ground and this finally made it face the contempt notice.
Sources, however, said the directions to comply with the order had come during the elections and stopping 24-hour power supply to VIP districts may come as a electoral setback to the ruling Samajwadi Party.
“Even otherwise, it is practically not possible to implement the order,” argued a senior official and added, “For example, if the order is implemented, then round-the-clock supply will have to be stopped in Lucknow and that may not be possible. Similarly, Allahabad also gets 22 hours supply, more than most of its counterparts, on the high court’s directives only.”
He said supplying round theclock supply to certain districts was indeed not fair and even brought losses to the UPPCL. It was a problem which everyone in the corporation was aware of but nobody had the guts to convey this to the government.