Biratnagar, March 2:

Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is yet to collect over Rs 700 million from its consumers in the eastern region. NEA said electricity lines to all the consumers with pending dues have been cut off.

There are distribution centres of NEA in Biratnagar, Itahari, Dharan, Bhadrapur, Damak and Rajbiraj while its branch offices are in Ilam, Dhankuta, Duhabi, Lahan, Udaypur, Diktel and Siraha in the eastern region.

Deputy director of Regional Directorate of NEA, Tanka Prasad Shrestha said a total of Rs 700 million including Rs 600 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2005-06 and Rs 100 million in FY 2006-07, is yet to be collected from consumers.

NEA is yet to collect dues worth Rs 247.2 million from street lights, Rs 147.2 million from industries, Rs 35 million from non-business sector, Rs 88.6 million from household use, Rs 8.5 million from business houses, Rs 44.3 million from other suspicious consumers, Rs 51.1 from black listed consumers and Rs 3.6 million from Drinking Water Corporation.

Meanwhile, NEA is preparing to make public the details of three generations of blacklisted consumers with a view to collect its dues.

Commenting on the isssue, Deputy director Shrestha said, “After dues of blacklisted consumers are collected, initiatives will also be taken to collect the dues from street lamps.”

He added that dues from street lamps would be collected through concerned municipality or VDC.

NEA distributes electricity worth of three billion rupees in the eastern region alone and it is of crucial importance that the dues are collected. There are 2,61,132 electricity consumers in eastern region, regional directorate of NEA said.

Electricity worth of Rs 1.54 billion has been sold within mid-January of current FY while Rs 1.37 billion has been collected, NEA said.