RAIPUR: State-owned Chhattisgarh Housing Board (CGHB) that boasted on offering lucrative housing schemes for different sections of society, defaults in not clearing the huge outstanding electricity dues creating a distressing situation fraught with peril for the thousands of families residing in its colonies.
The Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Ltd (CSPDCL) has last Wednesday, December 22, 2021, disconnected the power supply to street lights of the colonies of CGHB.
With most of the CGHB colonies located in the outskirts, residents are apprehensive about the occurrence of crimes or unfortunate incidents in the areas that plunge into darkness after sunset.
“Why should the residents pay the price for the apathy and negligence of the Board. It’s pathetic that the authorities failed in their responsibilities and the people of the colonies virtually live at the mercy of the Board. Why should the bonafide residents who pay all their stipulated charges suffer. What the government doing to fix the accountability of officials”, thundered KVR Murthy, former (IRTS) Railway officer and a president of the Boriyakala Greens Ville Housing Board colony.
“We got the instruction from the senior officials to disconnect the power supply to the street lights of CGHB colonies owing to outstanding electricity bills”, said Dharmendra Sahu, assistant engineer-CSPDCL. Similar instructions on disconnection were given to the officers in other areas.
Neither the CGHB commissioner Ayyaj Tamboli nor the CSPDCL managing director Harsh Gautam when contacted were available to clarify their stand over the incompetence at the official level going unaddressed for long.
“I am not aware about the colonies facing exceedingly unpleasant situation that arose after the power cut of street lights. This is unacceptable. No one from the department even informed me. I’ll find out”, Kuldeep Juneja, Chairman CGHB, told TNIE.
The residents are creating awareness in their colonies to remain vigilant during the hours of the night fearing criminal activities and mishaps. “We are asking the children to return home before the hours of darkness sets in and the youths have been given an advisory to remain watchful”, said Lavanya Tiwari, vice-president of one of the CGHB colonies.
The CGHB which has miserably failed to honour the commitments it made in its sale brochure and on the approved layout plans was recently ordered by the Chhattisgarh Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) to provide what the state-owned board promised to the consumers on facilities to be given at the residential colony.