KULOB, December 6, 2011, Asia-Plus -- The Kulob regional power supply network is taking measures to recover electricity debts.

“Over the first eleven months of this year, we have supplied electricity to subdivisions of the Ministry of Land Reclamation and Water Resources (LRWR) in Khatlon’s Kulob region for a total amount of 2.27 million somoni, while the rate of the collection of funds from them has amounted to only 11 percent (255,000 somoni),” the Kulob regional power supply network director Mirzo Ismoilov told Asia-Plus in an interview.

According to him, the electricity debts of the LRWR subdivisions in the area, including arrears of the previous years, have reached 12 million somoni.

A source in the fiscals’ service says the LRWR subdivisions have been abusing their preferred position.  “We cannot distrain property belonging to them even if they do not pay taxes to the national budget,” said he, “By government’s special decree, they pay for electricity at the rate of only 1.5 diram per one kWh.”