CHENNAI: TANGEDCO has decided to stop providing temporary electricity connections to premises in the name of contractors working on government projects.
The power utility has instead instructed all its chief engineers to ensure that the applications for temporary connections are received from the departments concerned. A senior official said the move follows the difficulties faced by the utility in collecting electricity charges from contractors after the projects are completed.
All chief engineers have been instructed to ensure temporary connections are granted in the names of the departments, thereby ensuring that the payments become the responsibility of the departments and not of the contractors.
However, the official did not provide any details regarding the contractors’ pending dues.
On the procedures that is in force until now, another official said most civil works for government departments are executed by private contractors.
During this period, contractors apply for temporary connections with the approval from the departments concerned. Once the construction is over, the temporary connection is surrendered, following which the department concerned applies for a permanent connection. “However, collecting pending dues from contractors has become challenging, leading to losses to Tangedco,” the official said.
A couple of contractors working with PWD, who preferred anonymity, said instead of insisting that temporary connections should be issued in the name of departments, Tangedco can make it mandatory for every contractor to get a NOC from the power utility after a project is completed and dues are settled. Once the departments concerned start demanding NOC from Tangedco for further processes, the contractors will feel the necessity to clear their dues.