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Despite recovery drive: Govt depts owe PSPCL a staggering ₹302 crore in Ludhiana
Topping the defaulters list, the department of local government which also includes the municipal corporation Ludhiana has pending electricity bills stand at staggered ₹166.79 crore, up from ₹93.64 crore at the start of this financial year
Despite a month long drive to recover pending electricity bills across the district, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) continues to face massive dues worth ₹302 crore from various government departments, officials familiar with the matter said.
According to official data, the outstanding amount which was ₹200.7 crore at the interim stage of this financial year, has now surged to ₹302 crore, marking an increase of nearly 50%.
Topping the defaulters list, the department of local government which also includes the municipal corporation Ludhiana has pending electricity bills stand at staggered ₹166.79 crore, up from ₹93.64 crore at the start of this financial year.
Following this, the department of water supply and sanitation owes ₹56.48 crore, adding ₹9.34 crore in just the last six months. The department of health and family welfare, representing Ludhiana civil hospital along with all government hospitals in the district, has unpaid electricity bills worth ₹24.21 crore.
The department of rural development and panchayat owes ₹21.94 crore, while the department of the sewerage board has pending dues of ₹9.87 crore. The department of home affairs and jails and legal and legislative affairs also has outstanding bills amounting to ₹5.93 crore and ₹3.07 crore, respectively.
Reportedly, out of the 35 government departments defaulting on electricity payments, seven major departments account for a staggering ₹288.32 crore of pending bills across the district. This alone represents nearly 94% of the total outstanding dues of ₹302 crore, highlighting that the majority of the arrears are concentrated among a small group of defaulters, officials said.
Explaining the impact, officials further noted that the sharp rise in pending dues over the past six months reflects the persistent challenges PSPCL faces in recovering electricity bills from government departments, despite recovery drives and regular follow ups. The accumulation of such unpaid amounts not only puts considerable strain on the financial health of the corporation but also hampers its routine operations including development and maintenance of infrastructure.
Responding to these concerns, PSPCL chief engineer Jagdev Singh Hans had said, “We continue to issue regular notices and reminders to these government departments as we cannot disconnect electricity connections due to the essential services they provide.”
