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Ludhiana: Consumer forum quashes ₹26-lakh power bill on hosiery unit
Based on this alleged meter slowness detected during an inspection, the department retrospectively assessed electricity consumption for the entire period from January 2023 to June 2025
A Ludhiana hosiery unit owner has got relief from a ₹26.06 lakh electricity bill after the Corporate Consumer Grievances Redressal Forum (CGRF) found serious faults in the way the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) recalculated his power consumption and quashed the demand.
The consumer, Amit Bansal, owns a hosiery complex in Noorwala village under the Sunder Nagar division. The dispute began in August when PSPCL issued the additional bill, claiming that the consumer’s electricity meter had been running slow and had resulted in underbilling for more than two years.
Based on this alleged meter slowness detected during an inspection, the department retrospectively assessed electricity consumption for the entire period from January 2023 to June 2025. After the reassessment, PSPCL raised the additional bill in August. The amount was also reflected in the consumer’s account, forcing him to deposit 20% of the disputed sum before approaching the CGRF.
During the hearing, the forum noted that the consumer had been receiving electricity bills regularly and had paid all dues on time. At no point during the billing period was he informed that the meter was faulty or that consumption was being under-recorded, even though the metering equipment remained under PSPCL’s control.
The forum also pointed out serious inconsistencies in the department’s stand, as the same meter had been tested in June and declared accurate. Yet, just two months later, PSPCL claimed the meter had been running slow for more than two years and proceeded to raise a huge backdated bill, putting the consumer under financial stress.
It also emerged that the consumer is a solar power user who both draws electricity from PSPCL and supplies surplus power back into the grid. The current transformers (CTs) installed in December 2022 were found to have incorrect markings from the manufacturer. The problem came to light only after a bidirectional meter was installed in February 2023 for solar net metering, which led to incorrect recording of both power consumption and supply.
Despite this, PSPCL recalculated only the electricity drawn from the grid while ignoring the power supplied by the consumer, making the billing one-sided and technically flawed.
While PSPCL sought recovery for the entire period, the forum ruled that backdated billing could be done for only six months under Regulation 39(4)(iii) of the PSERC Supply Code, 2024.
In its order dated December 17, the CGRF set aside the ₹26 lakh bill and directed PSPCL to revise the consumer’s account for only six months prior to the replacement of the faulty equipment. The forum also asked senior officials to fix responsibility and take steps to prevent such lapses and harassment of consumers.
