Punjab consumers who faced inflated electricity bills or missed out on the state’s 300-unit free electricity subsidy during the meter readers’ strike are set to receive relief. Electricity Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond announced that the government has identified 63,702 consumers whose bills were affected by the temporary billing system.
63,702 Consumers to Get Relief
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh on Tuesday, Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said the affected consumers were issued bills based on their average consumption because meter readers remained on strike during May, June and July.
As a result, some consumers who were eligible for the 300-unit free electricity subsidy did not receive the benefit in their bills.
The government will now regenerate the bills and provide the eligible subsidy for May
New Bills to Be Issued Within Three Working Days
The minister said revised bills for the affected consumers will start being issued within three working days.
Consumers who have already paid the incorrect or inflated bill will not lose the benefit. The necessary adjustment will reportedly be made in their subsequent electricity bill.
However, consumers whose actual July consumption exceeded the 300-unit free electricity limit will have to pay the applicable amount for that consumption.
Why Did the Bills Increase?
According to the government, the issue arose because meter readers were unavailable during the strike. With no fresh meter readings available, bills were generated using previous consumption patterns.
The minister explained that this could create a problem when consumption varied significantly across different months. For instance, if a consumer used less than 300 units in May and June but consumed more during July because of increased summer usage, combining the figures could affect the calculation of the subsidy.
Software Glitch Also Affected Bills
The government also acknowledged a separate issue involving the transition from the old PSPCL billing software to a new system.
According to the minister, a technical glitch during the transfer of data resulted in higher bills being generated for some consumers. The government’s review of the data reportedly found that around 2% of consumers were affected by this issue, while approximately 98% of the bills were found to be correct.
The government has said the technical problem has now been fixed, and the company responsible for the software has been issued a show-cause notice.
Dedicated Helpline With 20-Member Team
To address complaints about unusually high electricity bills, the government will launch a dedicated helpline.
A team of 20 employees will be assigned to examine complaints and verify whether a consumer has been incorrectly billed. According to the minister, genuine billing discrepancies will be corrected within 15 days of a complaint being registered.
The government has also said that unusually high bills will be scrutinised before being issued in the future.
Government Reviews Data of 78 Lakh Consumers
The minister said the government examined billing data covering around 78 lakh consumers to identify those affected by the subsidy issue.
The 63,702 consumers identified in this particular category account for less than one per cent of the total consumer base, according to the government.
With revised bills and subsidy adjustments now being initiated, the government has assured affected consumers that they will not lose the benefits they were entitled to due to the temporary billing arrangements or technical issues.
