TVM electricity to be cut off following failure to pay bills

A team of State Electric Company Limited (STELCO) has visited Television Maldives (TVM), to cut off its electricity due to failure by the state TV station to pay its electricity bills.

Managing Director of the company that operates TVM, Maldives Broadcasting Corporation, Mohamed Shafeeg Mahmood, said today that unpaid electricity bills of TVM amount to about MVR7.1 million.

He said that TVM is in discussion with STELCO about resolving this problem.

Shafeeg said that the bills had had been sent to Finance Ministry, but it has so far not been possible for Finance Ministry to settle the bills.

“They [Finance Ministry] have not been able to settle the bills. We are in discussion with STELCO, to figure out a way around this without cutting off electricity,” he said.

People have told Sun Online that the employees of TVM locked the gate and refused entry to the STELCO team that visited TVM.

However the senior officials of TVM later allowed them in.

An official of STELCO told Sun Online that TVM had been notified that electricity will be cut off, as per procedure subsequent to failure to pay electricity bills.

“We will do what’s necessary to get this money. Our team has gone to TVM to cut off electricity,” he said.