Despite the fact that sharing of revenue from electricity projects that have been developed in the GTA region between the GTA and Bengal government is expressly mentioned in the GTA agreement, the Bengal government and the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited has failed to implement the same.
As a result the GTA has threatened that if the Bengal government and the WBSEDCL do not adhere to the GTA Agreement, and start sharing revenue with it by February 15, 2015 all the WBSEDCL offices across the GTA region will be shut down.
Moreover the GTA has said that the WBEDCL has been overcharging the hill consumers and added that the dues accumulated during the statehood agitation period were being tagged in recent bills by the WBSEDCL.
Gorkhaland Territorial Administration chief executive Bimal Gurung yesterday held a meeting with WBSEDC officials in Darjeeling to discuss the issue. He did not speak to the media, but GJM general secretary and GTA sabhasad Roshan Giri said after the meeting, “We have asked the WBSEDCL to resolve the issue within February 15 failing which we will close its offices across the GTA region for an indefinite period from February 16.”
He alleged, “Consumers are being charged excess amounts by way of a newly-introduced spot billing system. This is causing undue harassment to the people as they are in no position to pay such exorbitant amounts. This is only a ploy to make the people of the hills pay the pending amounts accumulated during the agitation for statehood.”
Giri also said the state government has failed to implement the sharing of electricity clause included in the GTA agreement. “The GTA agreement has a clause that says ‘a mutually agreed formula’ would be adopted for sharing of electricity and revenue between the state government and the autonomous body. But even after more than two years the state government has failed to uphold the agreement,” he said.
Nearly 400 MW of electricity is generated in the GTA area by various hydel projects of the NHPC and NTPC and the GJM wants a 12 per cent share of the revenue.
Further, the GJM general secretary said his party had already raised the issue of waiving-off the dues of the agitation period with the chief minister in various meetings held over the years. “We placed the matter before the chief minister during the January 22 meeting in Darjeeling. She had asked the home secretary to call a separate meeting with the GTA, but this has not taken place as yet. Besides, we have also raised the issue of waiving off the agitation period bills in the bipartite and tripartite meetings held with the state and central governments,” asserted Giri.
Complying with a GJM diktat, the people have not paid their telephone and electricity bills and other taxes for the period April 2008 to August 2011 as part of the non-cooperation movement against the state government. However, after signing the GTA agreement in July 2011, the GJM had asked the people to start paying their bills and taxes from August 2011 onwards but not the dues accumulated during the agitation period.
Meanwhile, WBSEDCL officials refuted the allegation that dues from the agitation period were being added to recent bills. “This is completely untrue. Current bills have not been inflated and consumers are being charged as per usage. We have also not included the dues from the agitation period. In fact, spot billing has been introduced to provide better service and not cause inconvenience to consumers,” maintained Sibesh Deb, regional manager WBSEDCL (Darjeeling Region). He added dues have climbed up to Rs80 crore till date. When asked about the GJM’s threat to close down the company’s offices, Deb said, “I cannot comment on this. But we will definitely place the issue with higher authorities.”
TheDC team supports this move by the GTA ... as the revenue earned from the hydro development in the hills, are never invested back here... both the electricity and the revenues are taken down to developed south Bengal, while Darjeeling and Dooars continue to suffer due to this utter neglect.
Instead of 12% GTA should seek at least 50% share in the revenue, as the land is ours, we have to bear the burden of hosting a hydro dam, its our rivers that get clogged and our villages that get flooded...
While Bengal earns revenue through the electricity and also enjoys the electricity, our people do not get anything in return.
Source: The Darjeeling Chronicle
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| Pics show destruction of our river and environment due to the dams |
Moreover the GTA has said that the WBEDCL has been overcharging the hill consumers and added that the dues accumulated during the statehood agitation period were being tagged in recent bills by the WBSEDCL.
Gorkhaland Territorial Administration chief executive Bimal Gurung yesterday held a meeting with WBSEDC officials in Darjeeling to discuss the issue. He did not speak to the media, but GJM general secretary and GTA sabhasad Roshan Giri said after the meeting, “We have asked the WBSEDCL to resolve the issue within February 15 failing which we will close its offices across the GTA region for an indefinite period from February 16.”
He alleged, “Consumers are being charged excess amounts by way of a newly-introduced spot billing system. This is causing undue harassment to the people as they are in no position to pay such exorbitant amounts. This is only a ploy to make the people of the hills pay the pending amounts accumulated during the agitation for statehood.”
Giri also said the state government has failed to implement the sharing of electricity clause included in the GTA agreement. “The GTA agreement has a clause that says ‘a mutually agreed formula’ would be adopted for sharing of electricity and revenue between the state government and the autonomous body. But even after more than two years the state government has failed to uphold the agreement,” he said.
Nearly 400 MW of electricity is generated in the GTA area by various hydel projects of the NHPC and NTPC and the GJM wants a 12 per cent share of the revenue.
Further, the GJM general secretary said his party had already raised the issue of waiving-off the dues of the agitation period with the chief minister in various meetings held over the years. “We placed the matter before the chief minister during the January 22 meeting in Darjeeling. She had asked the home secretary to call a separate meeting with the GTA, but this has not taken place as yet. Besides, we have also raised the issue of waiving off the agitation period bills in the bipartite and tripartite meetings held with the state and central governments,” asserted Giri.
Complying with a GJM diktat, the people have not paid their telephone and electricity bills and other taxes for the period April 2008 to August 2011 as part of the non-cooperation movement against the state government. However, after signing the GTA agreement in July 2011, the GJM had asked the people to start paying their bills and taxes from August 2011 onwards but not the dues accumulated during the agitation period.
Meanwhile, WBSEDCL officials refuted the allegation that dues from the agitation period were being added to recent bills. “This is completely untrue. Current bills have not been inflated and consumers are being charged as per usage. We have also not included the dues from the agitation period. In fact, spot billing has been introduced to provide better service and not cause inconvenience to consumers,” maintained Sibesh Deb, regional manager WBSEDCL (Darjeeling Region). He added dues have climbed up to Rs80 crore till date. When asked about the GJM’s threat to close down the company’s offices, Deb said, “I cannot comment on this. But we will definitely place the issue with higher authorities.”
TheDC team supports this move by the GTA ... as the revenue earned from the hydro development in the hills, are never invested back here... both the electricity and the revenues are taken down to developed south Bengal, while Darjeeling and Dooars continue to suffer due to this utter neglect.
Instead of 12% GTA should seek at least 50% share in the revenue, as the land is ours, we have to bear the burden of hosting a hydro dam, its our rivers that get clogged and our villages that get flooded...
While Bengal earns revenue through the electricity and also enjoys the electricity, our people do not get anything in return.
Source: The Darjeeling Chronicle
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