SC Orders BSES Yamuna To Clear Rs 257 Crore Dues By July 15

The Supreme Court asked Reliance ADAG's power distribution company, BSES Yamuna to pay up its dues to electricity generating utilities totaling Rs 257 crore by July 15. Currently, the company has 13.5 lakh customers in central and east Delhi.

As per the records till June 30, the power distribution company owes Rs 60 crore to central generating and transmission utilities, including Damodar Valley Corporation, Power Grid Corporation and Aravali Power Company Ltd. BSES Yamuna also owes Rs 195 crore to Delhi-based power generating units Indraprastha, Delhi Transco and Pragati Power Corporation.

BSES Yamuna also clarified that the government subsidy, which was promised but not factored in, was to the tune of Rs 96 crore and hence its total liability would be Rs 161 crore.

Appearing for Delhi Transco and Indraprastha, additional solicitor general Tushar Mehta said the total dues as per their calculation was Rs 370 crore. However, NTPC, which was the first to approach the court with a threat to disconnect power supply to the national capital because of mounting arrears from BSES Yamuna, informed the court that it had been fully paid by the discom.

BSES’s senior advocate K V Vishwanathan attempted to put forth the discom's grievance. He said the state had not kept its promise of giving proper return on the Rs 15,000 crore investment made by the company.

However, a bench headed by Chief Justice R M Lodha and Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice Kurian Joseph said the apex court would decide about BSES Yamuna's grievances against the Delhi government later.

“We are directing you only to pay current dues. Power generation and transmission companies are no baniya shops. You must clear all dues since January 2014 if you want electricity. You can’t continue like this. You are in arrears, arrears, arrears... This isn’t our headache,” observed the court. (Image: The Supreme Court of India's official webite)