Malda traders up the ante

MALDA, Sept. 20: Members of the Malda Merchants' Chamber of Commerce today threatened to boycott electricity bill payment if the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited failed to solve the problem of frequent power cuts here.The MMCC members today informed their electricity bill boycott plan to the superintending engineer of WBSEDCL, Malda, and faxed the same message to Mr AK Bala, a senior WBSEDCL official posted in Kolkata. Copies of the letter have also been forwarded to the Malda district magistrate and the superintendent of police. The letter submitted by the MMCC members to the SE of Malda WBSEDCL, read: "Frequent power cuts have hampered production at small and medium scale industrial units here. The business community, especially the shopkeepers, is unhappy with the electric supply disorder in the town over past few weeks. Under the circumstances, we do not have any other option but to boycott the electricity bill payment from this month." The traders alleged that last night the residents of the town failed to watch India's match against England in the Twenty20 World Cup owing to power cut. Mr AK Bala, secretary of the WBSEDCL, who visited Malda last Friday had blamed inadequate supply of electricity for frequent power cuts here. Traders, however, alleged that the officials concerned are not taking measures to meet power requirement. #SNS