TPDDL to Continue Supply Power to 65,000 Street Lights, Post Delhi Govt Directive to Clear Dues

After Delhi government directed Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) to clear pending payments, Tata Power-Delhi Distribution Ltd (TPDDL) has put off its plans to stop power supply for nearly 65,000 Street Lights in the state.

Tata Power-DDL is one of the major power distribution companies in North and North West Delhi.

The decision was taken during a meeting by the Delhi Government, after the power distribution (Discom) company threatened to cut power supply for 65,000 street lights over non-payment of approx Rs 22 crore pertaining to maintenance charges of more than 65000 street lights by DSIIDC to Tata Power-DDL.

As per the Delhi Govt directive, Rs 8.72 crore will be paid immediately and the rest till March 2021 based upon the agreed terms and conditions.

Post government order, Tata Power-DDL said that it will continue to maintain the streetlights as usual.

Earlier, the company had issued a statement by saying that “we all know that street lights act as a deterrent to crime and promote a sense of security among communities. However, due to the outstanding payments from the last 32 months, Tata Power-DDL is unable to maintain these street lights installed in several unauthorised colonies in North and North West Delhi from tomorrow i.e. October 15, 2020. This may lead to unsafe conditions for lakhs of residents, especially senior citizens, women and children.”

According to the Discom, the maintenance of street lights in unauthorized areas costs the company approx. Rs 70 lakhs per month and the continuous non-payment of the invoices raised by it resulted in an accumulation of huge arrears.

On the matter, Tata Power-DDL, CEO, Ganesh Srinivasan, also clearly said that “Tata Power-DDL has always focussed on assuring the best of services to its consumers while prioritizing their safety. The non-payment of dues is severely hampering the regular maintenance of the street lights which will cause inconvenience to the consumers as well as other citizens. In such a scenario, it becomes imperative for the authorities to provide us the necessary support in maintaining these street lights, otherwise these areas will witness darkness, making them unsafe for public. I strongly appeal to the government to intervene and help resolve the issue by directing DSIIDC to release the due payment at the earliest.”

TPDDL also said that, in past few months, it had written several letters to all concerned authorities including Power Ministry, Department of Urban Development, GNCTD for intervention for timely resolution of the issue and immediate release of payment.

Besides, it had also informed the Delhi Police Commissioner about the proposed switching off of the street light and possible unsafe situations arising out of the same.

Notably, many Discoms in the country are already under huge financial stress, in which Covid-19 scenario added to their pain as many consumers had not paid electricity bills, and the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had earlier announced the Rs 90,000 crore package for the sector too.

This current incident had clearly shown that how much financial stress the power distribution companies are dealing with, and there’s a need for practical implementation of policies, so that no other Discom was forced to take such action.