Owing to non-payment of bills from 2008, power supply to a government higher secondary school near Tambaram has been disconnected, days ahead of the crucial public examinations.
As many as 1,980 students go to the Government Higher Secondary School in Pallikaranai, established in 1965. Among them are 437 and 297 students preparing for the class X and Plus-Two examinations respectively.
Officials of Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) said the school had two connections. While money for one of the connections was paid regularly, charges for the second were not paid since 2008.
This had accumulated to Rs. 2.4 lakh and during this period, they had sent several reminders and engineers visited the school urging authorities to make the payment. Officials said that when it came to non-payment of bills by a government school, TANGEDCO would always viewed the matter leniently.
As the pending amount was huge, they had no other option but to sever the connection. When asked why the decision was taken just ahead of the public examinations, officials said many of TANGEDCO staff's children too were preparing for the same examinations and were aware of the issue.
They were only executing orders they said and pointed out to the drive against non-payment of dues.
A staff of the School Education Department in Kancheepuram district said steps were taken for paying dues immediately and they were hopeful of a waiver in the penalty amounting to Rs. 30,000.
The issue has not gone down well among residents. “The State government is giving away freebies to so many sectors. After all, the amount accrued is only a little more than Rs. 2 lakh over four years. Power supply should be restored immediately,” said B.Prakash, running a mobile snack store on Velachery Main Road in Pallikaranai.
G. Selva, member of the South Chennai District Executive Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said the least TANGEDCO could have done was to wait till the end of the academic year or at least till the end of the public examinations for Plus-Two and class X students.
Officials of the School Education Department said the amount given to schools per year for payment of power supply bills was a pittance and the school authorities managed with support from Parent-Teachers' Association. As there was one connection that was functional, they managed to run the computer laboratory and a motor to ensure drinking water to the students. It was very tough for students, teachers and even the night watchman on duty, officials said.
Accumulation of power bills for a period of six months and more was very common, but they would be settled before the end of the financial year. According to them, in this issue, the TANGEDCO could have put its foot down long ago instead of now, just when children were preparing for the most crucial examinations of their lives.
School sources refused to comment on the issue.
