Gurgaon: The city’s electricity arrears fell by nearly Rs 102 crore between March and Aug, but the reduction did not come from a decline in the number of defaulters. Instead, most of the fall came from recovering dues from disconnected connections, while the number of connected consumers with pending dues rose.The total amount owed by defaulting consumers fell from Rs 368.9 crore at the end of March to Rs 266.6 crore in Aug, a reduction of 27.7%. During the same period, the number of defaulting connections rose from 52,851 to 57,407.The distinction between connected and disconnected accounts explains much of the change. Dues against disconnected connections fell from Rs 223.7 crore to Rs 121.4 crore — a reduction of over Rs 102 crore. Meanwhile, dues against connected defaulting consumers remained almost unchanged at nearly Rs 145 crore.The number of connected defaulting accounts, however, increased from 32,851 to 37,292. Disconnected defaulting accounts fell only marginally, from 20,711 to 20,520.This means the reduction in arrears cannot be attributed simply to fewer consumers defaulting on payments. The outstanding amount against the existing pool of defaulters has fallen, particularly among disconnected connections.The change is also visible in the average amount outstanding per defaulting connection. With total dues falling while the number of defaulting connections increased, the average outstanding amount dropped from around Rs 69,800 in March to Rs 46,400 in Aug.The data, however, does not show how much of the reduction came from actual recovery by the discom and how much resulted from adjustments, write-offs, or otherwise removed from the defaulting ledger. It therefore does not, by itself, establish an overall improvement in payment discipline.For a power utility, outstanding dues are not merely an accounting concern but unrecovered revenue for electricity already supplied. “Persistent arrears can strain finances and affect the utility’s ability to maintain its distribution network,” a discom official said.There are also sharp differences across the city’s distribution circles. Southern Urban Gurgaon now has the highest outstanding amount at Rs 110 crore, followed by City Gurgaon at Rs 50.9 crore, Sohna at Rs 43 crore and Pataudi at Rs 30.8 crore.Badshahpur recorded the biggest reduction. Its outstanding dues fell from Rs 132.1 crore in March to Rs 21.4 crore in Aug, an 83.8% decline. The number of defaulting connections there, however, rose marginally from 4,889 to 4,914. This further indicates that the fall was driven by a reduction in the amount outstanding against defaulters rather than a significant decline in their number.Manesar recorded a parallel increase in both arrears and defaulting connections. Its outstanding dues rose 45.1%, from Rs 7.2 crore to Rs 10.4 crore, as the number of defaulting connections increased from 1,298 to 1,478.The figures come as DHBVN has stepped up scrutiny of recovery. At a review meeting on Sept 30, the discom’s managing director Vikram Singh directed officials to fix responsibility for pending recovery cases and ensure time-bound action.The meeting reviewed defaulting amounts in the govt and private sectors, reasons for pending dues and plans for recovery. Officials were told that recovery efforts should produce tangible results rather than remain limited to paperwork.Gurgaon’s figures contrast with the broader trend across DHBVN’s distribution network. The discom’s total defaulting dues rose from Rs 4,633 crore in March to nearly Rs 4,800 crore in Aug, a rise of 3.6%. The number of defaulting connections also increased from about 11.19 lakh to nearly 13 lakh, a rise of 16.2%.For Gurgaon, the immediate challenge is therefore to sustain the reduction in long-pending dues, particularly from disconnected connections, while preventing the growing number of connected defaulters from adding to future arrears.
