NEW DELHI: The Capital's power distribution companies and the Delhi Jal Board have locked horns over non-payment of dues amounting to a whopping Rs.500 crore. While the discoms have blamed the Jal Board for not responding to repeated reminders for payment, the Board claims that the dues are "disputed".

According to discom sources, the Jal Board owes over Rs.500 crore in pending dues and has over 650 undeclared and un-metered connections.

"The Jal Board has around 3,000 metered connections in Delhi, which consume nearly 200 MW of electricity to run its water treatments plants, tube wells, booster pumping stations, sewage treatment plants, offices, townships," sources said.

Accusing the Jal Board of not regularising its electricity connections, discom sources said they had detected over 650 connections where electricity was being drawn directly from power supply lines.

"The discoms recently undertook a survey and found 85 such direct connections to tube wells, booster pumps stations, which have raised a bill of over Rs.10 crore, that is without including the penalty. This bill has been based on assessed consumption as per DERC guidelines," sources said.

Rubbishing the allegations, Jal Board Chief Executive Officer Arun Mathur said: "A major share of the Rs.500 crore is the money that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, of which the Delhi Jal Board was a part till 1998, owes to the erstwhile Delhi Vidyut Board. The sum being quoted by the discoms is the arrears of the money owed to the DVB between 1992 and 2000."

Mr. Mathur said the Delhi Chief Secretary had already chaired two meetings to resolve the issue. "Whatever dues the Jal Board will be asked to pay after resolution of the matter will be transferred from the Delhi Government's one account to another. The process of sorting out the outstanding dues is currently on and will be resolved. As for the 650 un-metered connections, the discoms should draw up a list and discuss the issue with the Jal Board. Why should the Jal Board not pay an additional Rs.20 crore when we are already paying Rs.300 crore annually for the power we consume?''

Discom sources also said no punitive action had been taken against the Jal Board so far keeping in mind the inconvenience to the masses.

"We cannot stop supply of power because that would put the people to inconvenience".

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