Raut revises amnesty, gives 3 years to ryots to clear dues

Nagpur: After repeatedly slamming his BJP predecessor Chandrashekhar Bawankule for allowing MSEDCL’s arrears to skyrocket, the incumbent energy minister Nitin Raut is following his footsteps. Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government had launched an amnesty scheme for agricultural consumers, who owe around Rs50,000 crore to Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL).Under this scheme, the state government would pay interest on arrears if the farmer paid the principal amount. The government allocated Rs 15,000 crore for the scheme.
However, in spite of this generous offer, not many farmers paid their bills. This prompted MSEDCL to start disconnecting them. This led to a hue and cry in the media and BJP threatened a statewide agitation if the disconnections were not stopped.
This prompted Raut to drop his plans to improve the appalling financial condition of MSEDCL and he modified the amnesty scheme. As per the MSEDCL circular issued on February 15, farmers have been given three years to pay arrears up to September, 2020. The farmers have to pay the current bill, but they are to be disconnected if they don’t. However, the farmers will have to be issued a disconnection notice and given 15 days for paying their bill. The officers who violate this directive would be severely punished.
On condition of anonymity, a senior MSEDCL official slammed Raut for developing cold feet. “Farmers are our biggest defaulters and if they are given a time of three years for clearing their past bills, how will MSEDCL survive. Raut should have allowed us to disconnect the defaulting agriculturists. Soon, there will be demand for such amnesty for other category of consumers too. On what grounds does Raut criticize Bawankule? He is doing the same thing,” he said.
The official said Raut had verbally asked MSEDCL officials not to disconnect farmers even if they don’t pay current bills, but this was refuted by the minister.
Activist Anil Wadpalliwar said relief to farmers was welcome, but MSEDCL should offer similar amnesty to other consumers too. “Lakhs of people have lost their jobs. Salaries of people have been halved. Many did not get salary for six to seven months. Businessmen did not earn anything for months. These people should also be given relief, otherwise I will file a petition in Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC),” he added.
Bawankule is not impressed by Raut’s decision. “This circular is an eyewash. Even now they are disconnecting farmers in bulk from the transformers. The condition of farmers is so pitiable that they should not be asked to pay power bills for five years,” he said.
BJP’s statewide jail bharo stir on Feb 24
BJP has decided to stage jail bharo agitation on February 24 against government’s failure to properly compensate farmers for crop damage last year and for disconnecting power consumers.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, BJP general secretary Chandrashekhar Bawankule demanded that state government allocate Rs10,000 crore in the coming budget for giving relief to power consumers in bills. “If disconnections continue, we will intensify our agitation and make things difficult for this government,” he said.