Meerut: With a pending electricity bill of Rs 13 lakh still remaining to be paid by the Meerut Cantonment Board, power connections in the area have been snapped by the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL). This has led to complete darkness here, as 2,200 street lights have stopped functioning. Authorities say that they are short of funds and there is little they can do until they have enough money to pay the bills. It has been six days since the power connection of the street lights has been snapped.“It is surprising that the power corporation snapped our electricity connections for the non-payment of dues of two months, even when there are so many other government offices which have pending electricity payments. This decision is causing inconvenience to the locals as there are as many as 2,200 street lights in the Cantonment area and at night movement becomes difficult in their absence,” said a source in the Meerut Cantonment Board.Prasad Chavan, chief executive officer, Meerut Cantt Board, said, “Due to financial crunch, we failed to make the payment in time. This is why street lights are not functioning for nearly a week. But we are in the process of releasing the money and the street lights will be functional soon.”Sources say that every month’s bill of Cantonment area is around Rs 6 lakh. However, this has reduced overtime after the street lights switched to LED lights, thus bringing down the overall expenditure.

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