New Delhi: The Supreme Court today directed state-owned power generation company National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) not to disconnect power supply to two BSES distribution companies until next hearing on March 26, according to reports.
Reports said that the apex court also directed the Anil Ambani-backed BSES to pay Rs. 50 crore to NTPC within two weeks. The Reliance group-backed power distribution companies had moved the SC on Thursday against the NTPC notice threatening to cut supply over unpaid dues.
Due to the urgency of the matter, the court heard the petitions of BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) and BSES Yamuna Power Limited on Friday. The BSES firms run by Reliance Infrastructure, with the Delhi government holding a 49% stake feed south, east and central Delhi.
This attempt to shift the onus of ensuring the city does not plunge into darkness on to the government came days after the AAP regime threatened to have BSES’ licences suspended or revoked. In their petitions, the discoms blamed both the Delhi government and Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) for their financial losses.
The BSES firms claimed DERC had issued notices to suspend their licences at the governments’s behest despite earlier admitting that the discoms suffered losses due to tariff structures and advising the government to take “various ameliorative measures.
NTPC Ltd had also slapped fresh bills on the two BSES discoms supplying power to over 3.2 million or 70% of consumers in Delhi. According to sources, the NTPC on February 5 issued a fresh bill of Rs. 324 crore (including Rs. 96 crore of previous outstanding dues) on BYPL while BRPL has been asked to pay up Rs. 368 crore in the next seven days.
Bureau Report
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