With the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) conducting raids on the electroplating and induction-heat treatment industry, the Federation of Industrial and Commercial Organisation has demanded that the power corporation withdraw the penalty notices issued to the units, which collectively amount to ₹125 crore.
Federation of Industrial and Commercial Organisation (Fico) president Gurmeet Singh Kular and general secretary Rajeev Jain met PSPCL (central zone ) chief engineer Bhupinder Khosla and demanded the withdrawal of the penalty notices.
Kular said, “Teams of the PSPCL have been carrying out raids on industrial units regarding power intensive units, and have issued a penalty notice for ‘unauthorised use of electricity. We strongly oppose the raids and request that the department issue a warning first and if the corrections are still not made then the department should issue penalty notices. Unauthorised use of electricity does not affect the revenue of PSPCL as much, and the industry is ready to pay the difference in tariff.”
FICO general secretary Rajeev Jain said that the industry, particularly micro, small and medium enterprises, are already struggling for their survival due to the losses incurred due the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown. During this hour of crisis, imposing raids is unjustified as it will burden the industry, which operates on a limited margin of profit.