A serving Uttarakhand cabinet minister and a late former minister have been named in the electricity department’s list of nearly 300 defaulters in Bageshwar district. Shortly after the list became public, dues linked to one of the properties were cleared.
From a sitting cabinet minister to political heavyweights, big names have surfaced on Uttarakhand’s electricity defaulters list.
A published list from the Bageshwar power division shows Cabinet Minister Rekha Arya with pending dues of about ₹2.98 lakh, while the late MLA… pic.twitter.com/p5pVV5E65Q
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Cabinet minister Rekha Arya, who handles the women and child development, food and civil supplies, and sports and youth welfare departments, figured in the list. Officials said electricity arrears of Rs 2.98 lakh had been pending for almost four years against Hotel Rudraksh Palace in Kausani, a property earlier associated with her.
However, Arya’s media in-charge said the hotel was sold in 2022 and that the outstanding bill was paid on Saturday. The executive engineer of Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) in Bageshwar confirmed that the payment was received on Saturday afternoon.
List Of Electricity Defaulters
The list also includes the name of the late former minister Chandan Ram Das, with dues of Rs 2.85 lakh pending against his residence in Bageshwar. His wife, Parvati Das, who was elected MLA from the constituency after his death in 2023, said she had no knowledge of the outstanding amount. “We were not informed that such a large bill was pending. Whenever dues were brought to our notice earlier, we cleared them,” she said.
Officials stated that the list was issued as part of a special drive to recover mounting unpaid electricity bills amounting to several crores. However, power supply to both properties has not been disconnected, raising questions among residents about the uniform enforcement of recovery norms.
UPCL executive engineer Mohammad Afzaal said the department has already disconnected 132 connections as part of the drive and will continue taking action against all defaulters, regardless of their status.
Beyond political figures, the list names Almora Magnesite Ltd as the biggest defaulter, with pending dues of about Rs 92 lakh. Several government institutions also appear on the list, including the district hospital in Bageshwar, which reportedly owes nearly Rs 16 lakh.
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