Punjab: Pending bills of education department cross Rs 12 core mark, PSPCL starts discounting power connections of schools

PATIALA: As pending

electricity bills

of the state

education department

have crossed Rs 12 crore, the

Punjab Power Corporation Limnited

(PSPCL) has started disconnecting

power connections

of schools across Punjab. PSPCL CMD has also sent a formal letter of secretary state education, asking the department to clear the bills, as such a huge pendency has started creating

financial problems

for the power corporation which is unable to meet its day-to-day expenses.


In the letter, Chairman cum managing director of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited A Venu Prasad has stated that a huge amount of Rs 1193 lakhs against various electricity connections of the department is pending and there is an increasing trend. The CMD has said that the pending amount has become a key cause of concern for PSPCL and was even hampering its day to day operations. While apprending the outstanding details of certain electricity bills, the PSPCL has asked the department to immediately clear the payments.

The education department has been warned that as a results of delayed payments, levy of late payment surcharge and interest further escalates outstanding dues and ‘it seems that concerned officers are not making requisite efforts to clear the bills.’

The CMD also advised the education department that one of the reasons of increasing use may be the unchecked usage of electricity and use of unauthorised electric apparatus including ACs and heaters and suggested the department should under take an energy audit to optimise uses of electricity and save the financial resources of the state.

It has also been suggested that the education department should explore the measures to reduce power and install rooftop solar systems to bring down the electricity bills.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the education department has already renewed its efforts to install solar panels atop schools. The project had been slowed down due to Covid restrictions and the tension on the Indo China border.

In an informal chat with TOI, state education minister Vijay Inder Singla said recently said in the first phase solar panels were to be installed in around 890 schools and subsequently these will be installed across all government school buildings.

Meanwhile, the PSPCL has initiated theprocess to disconnect the power supplies of schools where there is huge pendency of bills.