Andhra Pradesh ridicules Telangana claims on power dues

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh has called Telangana government’s claim of Rs 12,940 crore power and other dues as hearsay except for around Rs 3,000 crore pertaining to APSPDCL and employee trusts.

APGenco officials said that the Centre had set up a sub-committee to fix the power dues of TS to AP before arriving at the figure of Rs 6,756.92 crore. This includes the principal amount of Rs 3,441.78 crore as APGenco supplied power to Telangana discoms from June 2, 2014 to June 10, 2017, and late payment surcharge up to July 31, 2022, to the tune of Rs 3,315.14 crore. 

They say that the Centre fixed TS power dues in the presence of special chief secretaries for finance for AP and TS — S.S. Rawat and Ramakrishna Reddy — respectively. Moreover, as TS paid less than what it ought to have paid every month, simple interest at the rate of 15 per cent was levied resulting in late payment surcharge to the tune of Rs 3,315.14 crore. 

AP power utilities stopped supply to TS on June 10, 2017 after serving five notices for clearing dues.  

With regard to the Krishnapatnam thermal power plant, AP had invested Rs 1,500 crore and TS Rs 500 crore and both of them incurred loss. Why should we make up for their loss, they wondered.

Referring to TS’s claim that AP owed Rs 12,940 crore, the officials said that AP may have to pay nearly Rs 1,800 crore pertaining to APSPDCL covering Anantapur and Kurnool districts as power utilities from both the states entered into an agreement and with regard to employees’ trust fund to the tune of Rs 1,200 crore. 

Sources said that as TS moved the High Court for Rs 12,000 crore on assets sharing, AP was ready to file its counter.

A senior official from APGenco on condition of anonymity said, “It is unfair on the part of TS demanding payment for power it purchased from other agencies. Moreover, we are sure of getting asset distribution worth Rs 12,000 crore pending in the TS High Court in our favour.”