By IANS
Patna : Power-starved Bihar has decided to recover Rs.540 million in electricity dues from neighbouring Nepal.
The state-owned Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) will send a team of officials to Nepal soon.
"The Nepal government owes dues of Rs.54 crores (Rs.540 million) to BSEB," a BSEB official said here.
According to sources in the BSEB, a team led by S.K. Ghosh, superintending engineer (inter-state power exchange), will visit Nepal Tuesday to meet the concerned officials of Nepal government for recovery of dues.
The Nepal government owes electricity dues of over Rs.350 million of last year and around Rs.200 million for purchasing power between January and March 2007.
A team of BSEB officials visited Nepal in March for reconciliation of energy accounts with Nepal and payment of its dues, but Nepal failed to pay up.
It is strange that Bihar, a state with virtually zero power generation of its own, presently supplies electricity to Nepal.
Against a demand of 1,200-1,500 MW, the state receives only 800-900 MW from the central pool, from which it sells power to border areas of Nepal.
With the scorching summer, the state is witnessing repeated power cuts except in Patna. Most of the district headquarters, including Gaya, Nalanda and Rajgir, which are popular tourist spots, go without power for hours together.