Ministries' bill defaults

WE had known MPs defaulting on telephone bills running into a few crore takas. Now it seems the ministries have romped on to the wagon hitched to financial indiscipline.

The amount in arrear electricity bills owed to ministries is a whopping Tk 806 crore. The total is made up of Tk 401 crore and Tk 405 crore respectively owed by different government offices and semi-government and autonomous bodies. As many as 21 ministries are the worst bill defaulters.

The sticking question has been as to how the outstanding bills get paid to the government exchequer. It seems to us various measures have been adopted from time to time to have the arrears cleared but obviously these have recoiled.

Steps such as holding regular meetings with bill defaulting ministries and authorities, sending demand orders to secretaries, and even attempts at disconnecting electricity lines have met with little success.

How problematic the issue has become within the government that it has prompted conducting mobile courts to realize the bills! If SMS bill payment system and installation of pre-paid meters could not nudge the defaulters then what is left is an intervention from the highest government i.e. cabinet level.  For, we have to establish financial discipline in government ministries and bodies. They are the ones to set the example so that others are enthused to follow it.