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Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL) has restricted power supply to Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) as the latter failed to make payment on time.
For the last one year, the Bangladesh authorities couldn't make timely payments which led to a spike in outstanding amounts. "The BPDB owes more than Rs 1 crore to Tripura State Electricity Corporation. We are trying hard to make sure that the payment is streamlined but there seem to be some financial issues. We have written letters to the Bangladesh authorities. I have personally met the chairman of the Bangladesh Power Development Board. The power minister has also spoken to the Union Power Ministry so that the issues could be resolved as early as possible. The TSECL is also facing tough times financially because of the spiking outstanding amount," Managing Director TSECL Debasish Sarkar told ANI in a telephonic conversation. According to Sarkar, as per the agreement Bangladesh is entitled to get 160 megawatts of power from Tripura. The trading is supervised by NVVN (NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam). "We have also spoken to the NVVN to make sure that the timely payment is made," he added. Sources said Bangladesh's economy has been going through a rough phase and the value of the country's currency is on a free fall if compared to Dollar. "We can't abruptly stop power supply as this is a matter of international trade. This is why we have restricted power supply to Bangladesh for the last one year. Had we regularly received the revenue from Bangladesh the TSECL would have been in a better state financially," Sarkar told ANI. He also stated that Bangladesh had been paying the dues in installments which has impacted the fund flow of the state electricity corporation. "Right now they are paying the dues of January. Three to four months due is a regular feature now. For instance, if a Rs 45 to 50 crore bill is served, they clear it in five to six installments. This is why we have cut short the power supply. Even as the agreement was signed for the supply of 160 megawatts of power, we have restricted power supply to the range of 100 to 110 megawatts," said Sarkar. He attributed the restriction to the costly purchase of power. "Generation of power in Tripura-based power plants dropped by 60 to 70 megawatts. We used to be a power surplus state but now we are purchasing power from exchange to cope with the rising domestic demand. If all the power plants generate power to the optimum level, we would have been in a better position. Lack of gas also hindered the power generation in the thermal power projects," he explained. (ANI)
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