Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has filed a contempt petition against state-owned power distribution utility Maha Vitaran Ltd. for allegedly not complying with the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) order. The MERC order was issued in January this year, asking Maha Vitaran to pay the actress dues worth Rs. 3.96 crore for power supplied from two wind plants she owns in Nasik and Dhule. While Maha Vitaran returned the principal amount, it allegedly failed to pay interest of Rs. 82.48 lakh. Aishwarya is seeking recovery of that amount.
It is believed that Maha Vitaran is facing a cash crunch as it has recoverables of Rs. 50,000 crore. Out of this, dues of Rs. 30,000 crore are recoverable from the agricultural sector. Due to the current drought situation in Maharashtra, the government has banned Maha Vitaran from taking coercive action to recover its dues.