Ludhiana: Industrialists protest against advance power bills
Members of various industrial associations staged a protest against the state government and Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) at Janta Nagar power sub-station in Ludhiana on Friday over the notices served for recovery of 45 days advance bills (advance consumption deposit)
Members of various industrial associations staged a protest against the state government and Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) at Janta Nagar power sub-station on Friday over the notices served for recovery of 45 days advance bills (advance consumption deposit). The industrialists also burned the effigy of chief minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann during the protest.
The industrial associations which took part in the protest included Janta Nagar Small Scale Manufacturers Association (JNSSMA), United Cycle and Parts Manufacturers Association (UCPMA), Federation of Industrial and Commercial Organisation (FICO) and Auto Parts Manufacturers Association.
The industrialists rued that they will not submit advance bills which are being recovered as security deposits and will raise the agitation to the next level if the decision is not rolled back.
President of JNSSMA, Jaswinder Thukral, stated that people chose Aam Aadmi party (AAP) with the expectation that it will bring a positive change to society and provide some relief to industry at this time of crisis. But, the inexperienced state government is now adding to the woes of the industry by demanding advance bills for 45 days which are being generated keeping in mind the average consumption by the respective unit.
The industrialists stated that the notices are being served to small-scale industrialists by PSPCL and they have been asked to submit advance bills in 15 days, failing which their power connections will be snapped.
President UCPMA, DS Chawla, stated that the industry has a lot of expectations from the government, but they are putting an additional burden on them, which is not acceptable.
Meanwhile, PSPCL officials stated that additional consumption deposits are being demanded by the department as per the norms and recommendations of Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC).
Executive engineer of Janta Nagar sub-station, Amandeep Singh, stated that the decision has been taken at state level. The amount of security deposit is revised after every three years as per the recommendations of PSERC and the amount already paid as security will be adjusted.