Srinagar, Aug 1: Several government departments and universities, and many private healthcare establishments in Kashmir owe a whopping Rs 2300 crore to Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited on account of pending energy bills.
The reply by the KPDCL to a query asked under Right to Information Act, reveals that the Kashmir there are Rs 2348 crore pending energy bills mostly pending with the government departments.
As per the reply, the department of Public Health Engineering owes Rs 1081 crore, Tourism Rs 34 crore, Public Works Rs 16 crore, Housing and Urban Development Rs 106 crore, Home Rs 206 crore, and Irrigation and Flood Control Rs 415 crore.
Heavy energy liability is also pending with Estates department which provides housing facilities to the bureaucrats and government officials. Private Hospitals too are in the list of defaulters.
As many as 20 private hospitals owe nearly 1.4 crore KPDCL on account of electricity bills, as per a RTI reply.
The RTI application filed by M M Shuja, social activist, had sought details of outstanding amounts payable to the KPDCL by different hospitals of the Kashmir Valley on account of electricity charges till 30 November 2020.
A senior KPDCL official said that pending bills with the government department is not a matter of concern as it is being cleared by the government on a regular basis. “It is a matter of booking from one government account to another.”