JORHAT, May 30 - The Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) on Friday disconnected power supply to Unnayan Bhawan, which houses the Unnayan Super Market comprising 179 shops, Jorhat Municipal Board and Zila Parishad offices for non-payment of electricity bills amounting to about Rs 4 lakh.
An official of the Industrial Revenue Collection Area of APDCL said the transformer from which power is supplied to Unnayan Bhawan was disconnected as the bills for March and April were not paid.
The official said disconnection was done as per rules against defaulters of bills and the same action has been carried out against other defaulting consumers also.
The JMB office is functioning with electricity from a generator, a JMB source stated. However, the electricity supply to the Zila Parishad office in the same building, which is supplied from another transformer, has not been disconnected as reportedly the office was not a defaulter.
Unnayan Bhawan, a multistoried building at AT Road here and near the Jorhat Deputy Commissioner�s office, is a landmark constructed by JMB with HUDCO loan, and was inaugurated in 2002. The shops have been given on rent.
JMB sources said no separate bills are issued to shopkeepers. Only one monthly bill is issued to the JMB which collects monthly charges from the shops as per readings of the sub-meters. Some shops were paying fixed monthly charges as meters were out of order, while some had not paid for a long period.
The JMB is being administered by Assistant Commissioner Aditya Vikram Yadav, after the term of the municipal board administered by elected ward commissioners ended on March 31. On May 18, a row broke out between the shopkeepers of Unnayan Market and JMB after notices were served to vacate the shops for non-renewal of tenancy agreements and default in payment of monthly rent.
