Powercom engineers seek suo motu petition over pending government payments
PTC News Desk: PSEB Engineers Association has urged the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) to consider a suo-motu petition regarding pending payments by the Punjab government and its departments.
In its letter to PSERC, the PSEB Engineers Association stated that the suo motu action should be taken to safeguard the interest of the public at large as the pending payments are expected to cross Rs. 4000 crores. It also claimed that government departments' participation in the various OTS schemes launched by PSPCL has been minimal.
The general secretary Ajay Pal Singh Atwal claimed that PSPCL had ceased to provide all information about the payment of subsidies that were either due or expected from the Punjab government.
The total amount that non-government consumers and Punjab government departments owe PSPCL is Rs. 4,580 crores. By the end of the 2023–24 fiscal year, the government department owes PSPCLs Rs. 2,764 crores for electricity bills, and non-government outstanding debt totals Rs. 1,815 crores. The amount in default at the end of the most recent fiscal year, 2022–2023 is Rs. 4,240 crores.
The four big defaulters, according to official PSPCL records, are the departments of water supply and sanitation (Rs 1,079 crores), local government (Rs 991 crores), rural development and panchayat (Rs 334 crores), and health (Rs 148 crores). The total amount owed by these four departments is Rs 2,554 crores or 92.4% of the total amount in default. The Sewerage Board (Rs 78 crore), Home Affairs and Jails (Rs 23 crore), and Public Works (Rs 21 crore) are the other departments with large balances to be paid.
- With inputs from agencies
