HON'BLE SRI JUSTICE C.V.NAGARJUNA REDDY WRIT PETITION No.28496 of 2010 Date: 02.12.2011 Between: Chagalamarri Gram Panchayat, Kurnool District, Reptd by its Executive Officer-N.Padmanabha Sharma ..... Petitioner AND: The Commissioner, Panchayat Raj and Rural Employment, Hyderabad And another. .....Respondents Counsel for the Petitioner: Smt R.Annapurna Counsel for Respondent No.2: Sri O.Manoher Reddy, Standing Counsel for APCPDCL Counsel for respondent No.1: None appeared The Court made the following: ORDER: At the interlocutory stage, the Writ Petition is taken up for hearing and disposal with the consent of the learned counsel for the parties. This Writ Petition is filed for a Mandamus to declare the action of respondent No.2 in issuing the bills to the tune of Rs.13,76,804/- towards electricity arrears payable by the petitioner-Gram Panchayat as illegal and arbitrary. The only ground on which the petitioner has questioned the impugned demand towards current consumption charges raised by respondent No.2 is that even though the State Government has issued G.O.Rt.No.1592, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development (MDL.I) Department, dated 23.10.2008, wherein Rs.50 crores were sanctioned towards payment of current consumption charges due to A.P.Transco for the second quarter of financial year 2008-09, the bills have been raised against the petitioner. In the counter-affidavit, the Superintending Engineer, Operation, APCPDCL, Kurnool, has inter alia averred that the petitioner is in arrears of Rs.13,76,804/-; that as against the total amount of Rs.50 crores released by the Government, the APCPDCL has received only Rs.17,94,000/- for all the Gram Panchayats under its jurisdiction. It is further stated that only a sum of Rs.48,672/- was received against 19 service connections of street lights of the petitioner-Gram Panchayat towards current consumption charges. No reply-affidavit is filed controvering the above averments. Unless the Government steps in, the petitioner- Gram Panchayat is under obligation to pay the current consumption charges. Since the respondents have asserted that only a sum of Rs.48,672/- was received in respect of 19 service connections of street light services of the petitioner-Gram Panchayat, the latter is liable to pay the balance amount. Respondent No.2 is directed to issue a fresh bill after adjustment of the amount received from the Government grant to the petitioner. Within a period of one month from the date of receipt of such bill, the petitioner-Gram Panchayat shall pay the bill amount. Till expiry of the period stipulated above, respondent No.2 shall not disconnect the power supply to the petitioner-Gram Panchayat. Subject to the above directions, the Writ Petition is disposed of. As a sequel to disposal of the Writ Petition, interim order, dated 19.11.2010 is vacated and W.P.M.P.No.36363 of 2010 and W.V.M.P.No.3477 of 2011 are disposed of as infructuous. __________________________ C.V.NAGARJUNA REDDY, J 02nd December 2011 DR