Jammu, April 2 Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Thursday that outstanding electricity dues across government departments, public sector units, and security establishments in the Union Territory have surged to over Rs 3,747 crore, with major liabilities concentrated in key infrastructure and utility departments.
These details of outstanding power dues were shared by the chief minister, who is in charge of the Power Development Department (PDD), in response to a question raised by PDP MLA Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi in the Assembly.
According to the data, the total outstanding stands at Rs 3,74,735.42 lakh, including Rs 2,31,022.41 lakh under Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) and Rs 1,43,713.01 lakh under Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (JPDCL).
The Public Health Engineering (PHE) department has emerged as the single largest defaulter, with dues amounting to Rs 1,30,043 lakh, followed by the Irrigation and Flood control department at Rs 58,059.72 lakh.
Among security agencies, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) owes Rs 29,638.45 lakh, while the Army has pending dues of Rs 19,719.94 lakh and the Border Security Force (BSF) Rs 1,116.87 lakh.
The Home department has accumulated dues of Rs 22,306.46 lakh, while the housing and urban development department stands at Rs 14,449.47 lakh.
The power development department itself has outstanding liabilities of Rs 10,756.53 lakh, and the Power Development Corporation Rs 2,277.51 lakh.
Municipal bodies account for a significant burden, with municipalities alone owing Rs 24,163.80 lakh. The Revenue and Relief Department has dues of Rs 8,227.62 lakh, while the Health and Medical Education Department owes Rs 11,989.31 lakh.
Other major contributors include the Tourism Department (Rs 4,759.05 lakh), Education Department (Rs 2,866.40 lakh), Public Works (R&B) Department (Rs 1,951.21 lakh), and Rural Development Department (Rs 1,062.95 lakh).
The data also reflects dues from central agencies and PSUs such as NHPC, NHAI, Railways, Power Grid Corporation of India, BSNL and Prasar Bharti, besides several development authorities and corporations including JDA, UDA, SIDCO and SRTC.
In his reply, Abdullah said that power distribution companies (DISCOMs) are actively pursuing recovery of outstanding dues from defaulting departments and establishments.
The disclosure highlights the mounting financial stress on the power sector in Jammu and Kashmir, with a substantial portion of unpaid dues locked in government and institutional consumption.