With the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) allegedly denying power connections to plot holders in illegal colonies before a coloniser gets a separate no-objection certificate (NOC) from it, the members of Punjab Colonisers’ and Property Dealers’ Association met power minister Harbhajan Singh ETO in Chandigarh on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum to him.
Citing the policies floated by the state government for regularisation of illegal colonies in 2013 and 2018, the colonisers said, “ It is mentioned in the policies that an individual plot holder can get the plot regularised even before the colonisers gets the colony regularised.”
Further, it has been stated that if the plot holder submits the regularisation fee with the concerned department, the PSPCL cannot deny power connection against the said plot, they said.
The group of colonisers, led by president of the association GS Lamba, said a large number of residents are facing harassment at the hands of the PSPCL officials as power connections are not being issued even after plot holders get an NOC from the concerned department.
Lamba said, “After a long fight, even though the government has now opened an online portal for issuing NOCs against the plots, people are still facing difficulty in getting NOCs. On the top of that, PSPCL denying power connections is also taking a toll on residents. Power connections are not being issued even in those colonies which were established before 1995, when the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation (PAPRA) Act came into existence.”
{{/usCountry}}Lamba said, “After a long fight, even though the government has now opened an online portal for issuing NOCs against the plots, people are still facing difficulty in getting NOCs. On the top of that, PSPCL denying power connections is also taking a toll on residents. Power connections are not being issued even in those colonies which were established before 1995, when the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation (PAPRA) Act came into existence.”
{{/usCountry}}“A large number of applications are pending across the state. The government should resolve the issue at the earliest so that residents, along with the real estate sector, heave a sigh of relief,” Lamba said.
One of the PSPCL officials, requesting anonymity, said the guidelines have been issued by the state department and power connections cannot be issued to plot holders until the colonisers submit requisite charges with the power department and get an NOC.
Lamba said the power minister assured to look into the matter and provide a solution in the coming days.