Do not add gadgets without informing TSECL: Tripura govt to power consumers

Agartala: To ensure seamless power services, the state govt urged consumers to inform Tripura State Electricity Corporation Ltd (TSECL) in case of addition of any electrical gadget to the family or organisation if the assessed load goes beyond 4 kilowatt in domestic connections.
TSECL has reportedly been facing a serious financial crunch for the last few years due to debt burden and non-payment of revenue by private distribution companies besides govt departments and some domestic users.
“Every month TSECL has to pay more than Rs 21 crore to the bank to repay the loan it had taken on several previous occasions. Moreover, as part of policy decision, the govt handed over the responsibility of power distribution to private companies in five divisions three years ago but the companies are not paying the revenue – one of them owes over Rs 180 crore,” said a senior executive of TSECL.
He said unfortunately, TSECL management and the state govt have been interested in implementing projects related to transmission but not improving the distribution system, debt recovery and revenue collection.
The dismal face of TSECL was exposed after Remal hit the state. TSECL didn’t have enough money and manpower to restore the service immediately, which triggered serious resentment among consumers, as even after a week of the disaster the power supply was not regularised, officials stated.