Jammu MSMEs urge LG to defer electricity bills of industrial sector

Jammu, Apr 9 (KNN) The Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Jammu and Kashmir have urged have urged the Lt Governor, G C Murmu to provide immediate relief to industrial sector of J&K by deferring electricity bills and waiving-off minimum /demand charges for closed as well as working units manufacturing essential commodities and their supply chain due to lockdown.

"We draw kind attention of Lt Governor towards non-working of majority of the units, not covered under essential commodities due to lockdown since March 24, 2020, resulting in a difficult situation for unit-holders to pay electricity bills as their units were closed, non-receipt of payments from suppliers for sale of materials in February and March 2020 and other related financial constraints," Lalit Mahajan, President BBIA said in a statement issued here.

BBIA also urged Murmu to announce some remedial measures to provide relief to the ailing industrial sector of the state, which includes:

(1) Extension the date for the payment of power supply bills for the month of Feb 2020, not deposited by the unit holders due to lock down imposed from 24th March 2020 Mid-Night, till the lifting of Lock down without any surcharge.

(2) Exempt the industrial units from the payment of minimum charges  and fixed demand charges for  the closed units as well as to the units working  with minimum  capacity for the manufacturing of essential commodities and supply chains including packing materials  from  the period of March 25, 2020 till the lock down period and charge for the actual consumption of power only with the  relief to unit holders with the  deferment of   power supply bills payment for the month of  February,  March and April  2020 or till the lifting of Lock down by government of India.