Mangaluru: Gram panchayats under the Mangalore Electricity Supply Company (Mescom) limits have pending electricity bill dues of Rs 251.39 crore, Mescom Chairman Harish Kumar said on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters in Mangaluru, he said that as of February 28, 2026, the pending amount includes Rs 218.84 crore towards electricity bills for drinking water supply and Rs 32.55 crore towards streetlight power bills from gram panchayats.
He further said that municipal councils and town municipalities together owe Rs 261.54 crore, while government irrigation and other departments have pending dues of Rs 517.53 crore.
Lineman shortage continues
Harish Kumar said that within the Mescom jurisdiction covering Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga districts, there are 9,248 sanctioned lineman posts.
At present, only 5,283 personnel are working, leaving a large number of vacancies.
He said the recruitment process for 465 linemen is nearing completion. However, around 400 staff members have already been transferred, and they will be relieved only after the newly recruited staff join duty.
Because of this, the shortage is expected to continue.
According to him, the number of candidates being recruited as linemen from districts such as Mangaluru and Udupi remains very low.
A larger number of recruits are coming from other districts, and frequent transfers are leading to staff shortages in the Mescom region.
Extra teams for monsoon management
Mescom has also decided to appoint additional temporary staff teams during the monsoon season to respond immediately in case of natural calamities.
He said that a five-member team will work under each Assistant Executive Engineer.
In the event of accidents or disruptions during heavy rain, these teams will assist linemen in restoration and emergency work.