Kalimpong November 25, 2014:

Raising the issue of getting larger amount of electricity bills, Dukha Niwarak Samaylan and Kalimpong Sangrakshan Samati unanimously organized an interactive meeting with the authorities of Electricity Department in G.D.N.S hall this afternoon. About 70 concerned people were seen in the hall.
The members of Sangrakchan Samati, Dukha Niwarak Samaylan, Divisional and Assistant Divisional manager of Electricity department were present there to unfold the core cases of outstanding electricity bills which people of Kalimpong are receiving. Understanding people’s chaotic expressions, the authorities discussed about rechecking the electric meters.
The problem of people here is that they are receiving larger amount of bills which they think is higher than the actual reading. ‘If people have doubts regarding their bills, the department will send the concerned troop for re-reading the meters but if the reading matches with the amount in the bills then people have to pay them.’ Said Somnath Roy, the Divisional Manager of Electricity Department.
The manager also appealed the public to visit the department if other distractions with electricity arise. He also assured the people that the department won’t step back to sort the confusions of their customers. ‘We will make sure to solve all of your electric related problems.’ He added.
However the President of G.D.N.S, Uday Kumar said that the motive to organize the meeting was to clarify the questions of the public belonging from urban as well as rural areas. He also mentioned about the dues in bills during the time of Morcha’s agitation.
Recalling the ‘non-cooperative movement’ in the hills led by the morcha, Kumar said ‘the dues were eventually waived by the government and the apparent accrued bills received by us might be the extraction of those dues.’