Agartala: Tripura Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath has raised serious concerns over the low rate of electricity bill payments in the state.
He revealed that only 41 percent of consumers are paying their dues on time. Of the total 9.87 lakh power consumers under the Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL), just 4.32 lakh regularly clear their monthly bills.
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Addressing the media at the Civil Secretariat, Nath pointed to especially poor payment records in subdivisions like Tulasikhar, Hejamara, Mungiakami, and Jatanbari, where only around 10 percent of consumers pay their bills.
“When our officials conduct inspections and enforcement drives, they often face resistance, which sometimes turns violent,” Nath said, highlighting the serious challenge in revenue collection.
The Minister also shared updates on the implementation of the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, under which 70 households, including his own, have successfully installed rooftop solar power plants and no longer pay electricity bills. Instead, they receive refunds from TSECL for the surplus power they generate.
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“I last paid a bill of Rs 8,726. Now, after installing a rooftop solar plant, I’ve received a refund of Rs 763 from TSECL, which buys excess power at Rs 2.65 per unit,” said Nath. A total refund of Rs 23,902 has been issued to the 70 solar-powered households so far.
So far, 266 consumers have installed solar systems, and data for another 60 is pending upload on the national portal. Of these, 184 have received subsidies, and 95 families installed solar units through bank loans amounting to Rs 1.75 crore. The state aims to bring 50,000 families under the scheme, potentially generating 150 megawatts of solar energy. Over 14,000 families have already registered.
In addition, the government plans to set up a new State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) at Kumarghat and is working to modernise gas-based thermal power plants.
However, gas shortages remain a hurdle, prompting the adoption of new technologies to enhance power generation capacity.