Bescom issues notices to govt hospitals for non-payment

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) on Thursday served notices to some of the city's prestigious government hospitals over their failure to clear pending electricity dues.

The notices were served to KC General Hospital in Malleshwaram and Jayanagar General Hospital, among others. A copy of the notices has also been sent to respective police stations in the jurisdiction of the areas where the hospitals are located.

Sources have stated that the KC General Hospital has dues pending over Rs 28 lakh for a span of five months. Despite repeated reminders, they have not paid the bills. On the other hand, Jayanagar General Hospital has dues of over Rs 24 lakh. BESCOM has warned the hospitals of cutting supply if the dues are not paid in time.

“BESCOM has cooperated with the hospitals on several occasions in the past as they are governmentrun and involve the lives of many patients, and may have a paucity of funds,” the electricity supplier has said and warned the hospitals of disconnecting supply without further intimation.

The Jayanagar General Hospital has written to the Karnataka Health Department seeking an immediate release of additional grants but is yet to receive a response.

“We have been unable to clear the bills due to lack of funds. They will be cleared by the end of the month, as soon as we receive a response from the health department. We have requested a grant of Rs 40 lakh,” the Medical Superintendent of Jayanagar Public Hospital, Ramakrishna, has said.