NEW DELHI: The Arvind Kejriwal government 's bonanza to about 24,000 consumers who defaulted on power bills in response to AAP 's 'Bijli-Paani Andolan' may turn out to be an empty promise. The Rs 6 crore needed for the 50% waiver was not accounted for in the appropriation bill passed by the Delhi assembly.

One of the last major decisions taken by the AAP government before it quit office, the waiver for party supporters now depends on LG Najeeb Jung or the next government whenever the state polls are held. Till then the waiver will stay in limbo.

On Friday when Kejriwal resigned as chief minister, he also piloted the appropriation bill in the Delhi assembly to earmark Rs 372 crore towards subsidy dues to power companies. The sum was drawn from the consolidated fund under PWD and infrastructure heads.

Since the specific relief to power defaulters was not part of the subsidy announced soon after AAP assumed office, the government has not worked out where the additional Rs 6 crore will come from.

This decision, criticized by Congress and BJP as AAP's gift to its supporters, also drew flak on the grounds that it rewarded defaulters and was politically motivated. But a scrutiny of the budget reveals that it were the defaulters who seem to have been taken for a ride.

Following Kejriwal's resignation, discoms are jittery about recovering their subsidy dues. While Tata Power is expected to get its dues by next week, BSES discoms are planning to write to the LG to get their subsidy dues rather than these being adjusted against sums they owe the Delhi government.

Delhi owes Tata Power Rs 110 crore as subsidy dues for October-December 2013 as well as increased subsidy for sops announced for the January-March 2014 quarter. BSES Rajdhani is owed Rs 37 crore for the last quarter's subsidy, while BSES Yamuna is to get Rs 25 crore.

For the new subsidy from this quarter, the Rs 228 crore owed to the BSES discoms would be adjusted with the BSES discoms' outstanding dues to Transco, IPGCL and PPCL, Kejriwal had announced in early January.

According to sources, BSES discoms had informed the Kejriwal government that they needed the subsidy funds to clear outstanding dues to generating stations like NTPC, NHPC and DVC. The discoms have already paid Rs 40 crore of the Rs 50 crore due to NTPC as per SC directions, and are trying to raise funds for the remainder.

"As per the Electricity Act and DERC guidelines, subsidy dues should have been paid to us in advance. Discoms are cash-strapped right now and need the funds," said a discom official.

The AAP government had committed to clearing Tata Power's dues by February 15 but said nothing about the demand made by the BSES companies. There is still no clarity on whether the remaining sum from the appropriation funds after release of Tata Power's dues are earmarked for release to the Reliance companies. The decision now lies with the LG.

