Consumers with commercial connections from the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) have requested the state government for a waiver of electricity dues similar that provided to domestic users.

The Bengal government has waived late payment surcharge (LPSC) along with a 50 per cent waiver on the outstanding electricity dues billed till December 31, 2018 which totals more than Rs 250 crore, a major relief for hill residents.

Around 1.4 lakh consumers from Darjeeling hills were facing inconvenience over unpaid electricity dues accrued during Bimal Gurung-led Gorkha Janmukti Morha’s Gorkhaland agitation. The party had asked the hill people to stop paying electricity bills from April 1, 2008, as part of their “non-cooperation movement” till the party signed a pact for the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration in July 2011.

Commercial consumers would total less than 10 percent of the total consumers.

Sources said that some major players cleared their bills for smooth conduct of their business.

“However, small businesses had not been able to clear the huge outstanding dues, apart from those who needed new connections. We request the state government to consider our plight too,” said a trader from Darjeeling.

The trading community stated that business has always suffered during every agitation and “in successive months after the agitations were withdrawn”.

In recent times the hills have faced three rounds of agitations; from 2007 to 2011, in 2013 and 2017.

“No tax relief has ever been mooted for the losses we’ve had to bear for no fault of ours. Tourism-related business does contribute to the state exchequer through taxes of various kinds,” said a hotelier.

Many argued that when the commercial consumers had wanted to pay during the agitation period, the billing counters at the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Corporation Limited were closed.

“There were no provisions for online payment during Gurung’s agitation. Even the banks refused to accept payment, this is a known fact,” added a businessman.

Some businessmen told this newspaper that they were even willing to pay the entire outstanding dues in installments provided the late payment surcharge is waived off.

“The late payment surcharge is two to three times the outstanding amount,” said a restaurant owner.

For domestic consumers, the state government has fully waived off late payment surcharge and has provided a one-time waiver of 50 per cent of the outstanding dues till December 31, 2018.

Sources said that while the outstanding due between April 1, 2008 to July 2011 stood around Rs 81.72 crore, the LPSC had touched Rs 235.50 crore.