Power dept pulls plug on rly stn

It was a rude shock, but it was a reality. The power company pulled the plug on Neem Ka Thana railway station at Sikar district on Friday. The department officials were anguished over electricity bills pending. Railway officials, however, denied that any dues were pending.

"We have a robust system for payment of bills and they are deposited online," said a senior officer at North Western Railway.

The railway station, meanwhile, remained in the dark for a couple of hours on a wintry evening. The payment though remained pending till the supply was resumed after nearly seven hours. "The bills have been pending for several months now and total amount is nearly two lakh," said an assistant engineer at the discom. "We have resumed the supply for now considering public interest," he added.

This is not the first time that a public office has been held a defaulter. However, as the electricity distribution companies are under financial pressure, officials are too being pushed to reduce the due.