Chennai, Sep 1 (IANS): With the financial woes of the Tamil Power utility, Tangedco, on an ascent, it has directed all the local bodies in the state to pay up the dues with immediate effect.

Officials with the financial department of Tangedco told IANS that an amount of Rs 1,800 crore was due from local bodies of the state.

Sources in Tangedco told IANS that the department has also directed its officials to collect dues not only from local bodies but also from state government-run bodies like water authority, school education department, police and municipalities.

Tangedco, according to information, is reeling under financial crisis and is hence pressing its consumers to pay up their dues.

The department has also directed the officials to identify connections to which notices have been sent for non-payment of dues. The department has also directed officials to take up the matter with the revenue officials in the concerned districts, including the district collector to get the dues paid.

With Tangedco moving ahead with several reforms, the officials in the department told IANS that without making the base of the utility strong by collecting its long pending dues, the power body will crumble in the long run and hence stringent actions against erring consumers.

A senior official with Tangedco told IANS that the mounting bills have to be settled on a war-footing and the idea is to bring the power utility a debt-free company or a zero-debt company in a few years from now.