Ranchi, March 9: Jharkhand High Court today asked the Jharkhand State Electricity Board (JSEB) to clarify whether it is capable of providing uninterrupted power supply in the capital during the approaching summer.

A division bench of the high court posed the question in the light of a similar undertaking given by the Delhi government before Delhi High Court. The Delhi government has reported told the court that it would ensure electricity through out the summer without power cuts.

While hearing a public interest litigation on erratic power supply Justice M.Y. Eqbal and Justice R.R. Prasad of Jharkhand High Court directed JSEB to file an affidavit and inform whether it is capable of a similar feat.

The Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), which was earlier directed to supply additional power to augment the requirements of the JSEB, today informed the court that no payment was being made to it by the board. The counsel for the corporation further said that though power was being supplied by the government undertaking, it is not receiving any revenue from the board.

The JSEB, on the other hand, refuted the allegations of non-payment of money to DVC. The bench, however, directed both the board and DVC to file separate affidavits and inform the current status of accounts between the two.

Sources at JSEB confirmed that it was going through a bad patch with regards to finances and was cash-strapped. The board has not received money, running into crores, from the state. The government has delayed its payments. And till the funds are cleared, the board cannot function and carry out necessary repairs and maintenance required for incessant power supply.

The petition has been filed by M.S. Mittal who pleaded that the condition of power supply in the city has collapsed. There is no continuous electric supply and power cuts were frequent. Besides, there is no timetable for power cuts. The board is not working responsibly due to which citizens have to suffer, the petitioner had said.

“Despite best efforts made by the board, it has miserably failed to live up to the expectations of the masses and power supply has become erratic. Though a number of affidavits have been filed by the JSEB to improve the condition of supply, no constructive work seems to have been done yet,” the counsel for the petitioner said.