PANAJI
In an unusual move, the Goa Electricity Department has attached a 23,000 square metre land parcel belonging to a steel company in Dhargalim, as part of efforts to recover Rs 2.74 crore in unpaid electricity bills.
Executive Engineer William Barreto, who is also the Revenue Recovery Officer of Electricity Division XVII in Mapusa, issued the order to attach the land owned by M/s Twenty First Century Iron & Steel Ltd for not paying electricity dues.
In the order, Barreto stated that the dues are being recovered as arrears of land revenue under the Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968. The company has been barred from selling or transferring the property in any form, including by gift.
Barreto acted under powers given by the Goa Public Moneys Recovery Act, and the department is expected to proceed with recovery if the company does not pay up soon.
The Electricity Department has been facing difficulties in recovering long-pending dues from consumers over the past few years. Attaching the steel company’s land signals a stronger push to collect outstanding amounts, which have now crossed Rs 1,000 crore.
