According to WBSEB sources, its outstanding dues from various bodies amount to more than Rs 1,750 crore as on March 31, 2000. Bulk of its outstanding dues - Rs 699 crore - are from low and medium voltage consumers including domestic, commercial and small-scale industries. It has to recover Rs 64 crore from decentralised bulk consumers consuming between 50kw and 499kw, while Rs 94 crore from centralised bulk consumers consuming more than 500kw and Rs 1.5 crore from the railways.

Among the power utilites, CESC which caters to Calcutta and the adjoining areas tops the list of defaulters with Rs 800 crore dues and dues of other neighbouring SEBs of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar and Orissa amount to Rs 125 crore.

The first such awareness and recovery camp will be inaugurated on June 9 in Khandagosh Seherbazar Panchayat Samity Community Hall and will cover Seherbazar and Raina electric supply areas in the Barddhaman district. The outstanding dues from the area stand at Rs 58,97,000. "We have decided to organise similar camps in other parts of the state throughout the year as these outstandings are hampering investments in distribution network development projects. Such development is necessary for providing quality power to our consumers," WBSEB sources said.