More than Rs100 crore has reportedly accumulated in dues due to non-payment of bills during the statehood agitation by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha from 2008 to 2011. The GJM had asked people not to pay their electricity and telephone bills along with taxes as part of the non-cooperation movement against the state government.
However, after peace was brokered and the GTA agreement signed in July 2011, the GJM asked the people to start paying their dues, except the ones that had accumulated over the four-year agitation.
The GJM had even included a clause in the GTA deal seeking a waiver of telephone and electricity bills accrued during the statehood movement. On several occasions, the ruling party even took up the issue with both the state and central governments.
But the state electricity board refused to budge and has started billing allegedly excessive amounts in order to make up for the loss. Home owners, commercial establishments and traders have been receiving notifications from the electricity board asking them to pay up their dues, while power lines of several consumers have already been disconnected.
GTA chief executive Bimal Gurung today held a meeting with the electricity board zonal manger and hotel owners at Lalkothi to discuss the issue. "We have been told by the GTA executive that a letter will be sent to us and other concerned authorities soon. We have also decided to suspend the process of disconnecting lines of defaulters till we get a response from the GTA," said AK Sinha, the zonal manager.
However, hotel owners fear the decision of the electricity board to disconnect lines would negatively impact tourism prospects in the hills. "The tourist season will start next month and if the electricity board disconnects lines, tourists will be highly inconvenienced. This will not augur well for the tourism industry on which the entire hills depend," pointed out Sanjugita Subba, president of the Hotel Owners’ Association of Kalimpong.
She was also of the view that as the bills had accumulated during the statehood agitation the hotels were not at fault. "We were willing to pay our bills, but could not due to the agitation as offices were closed. Therefore, it cannot be our fault and we demand a waiver of our pending amounts," she said.
Neither the GTA chief executive nor other officials could be contacted for comment on the issue, but sources did confirm about the day’s meeting. (EOIC)