Punjab government departments fail to clear power dues, OTS scheme extended

Aman Sood

Patiala, August 28

With none of the defaulting government departments clearing their pending power bills as per the one-time settlement (OTS) scheme, the government has now extended it till November.

“The departments have failed to come forward despite many reminders. The matter is being taken up at the government level,” a source said.

The scheme was launched in May with an aim to recover about Rs 4,775 crore pending power bills, which were due towards government and private power consumers. While private sector defaulters have cleared Rs 2.86 crore, government departments are trailing behind.

The PSPCL wants to recover Rs 2,534 crore pending dues from over 54 government departments alone. Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO had announced the extension of the validity of the scheme for another three months on August 25.

The two biggest defaulters are Water Supply and Sanitation Department (Rs 1,124 crore) and Local Bodies Department (Rs 881 crore). They together owe more than Rs 2,000 crore. “Arrears against the Local Bodies Department have increased by Rs 500 crore in the last more than one year,” said a PSPCL official. The Rural Development and Panchayats Department owes Rs 286 crore and the Health Department owes Rs 125 crore.