Chandigarh, 25 August (H.S.): Punjab Government has announced major relief measures for consumers who faced unusually high electricity bills or missed out on the benefit of 300 free electricity units due to billing issues.

Punjab Power Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said that 63,702 consumers affected by provisional billing during the meter readers’ strike will now get the benefit of 300 free units of electricity. He assured that no eligible consumer would lose the free power benefit due to technical errors, provisional billing or system-related issues.

Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, the Power Minister said that genuine complaints regarding inflated electricity bills would be resolved within two weeks. He added that a dedicated helpline will soon be launched for consumers facing billing-related problems, while a special team of 20 PSPCL officials has already been deployed at the headquarters to address grievances.

Sond said that during the meter readers’ strike between April and July 2026, several consumers were issued provisional bills based on their previous average consumption. Once actual meter readings became available, the system reconciled the consumption, which resulted in some consumers receiving unexpectedly higher bills.

He explained that out of around 78 lakh electricity consumers in Punjab, 63,702 consumers were affected by such provisional billing adjustments. The government has now decided that eligible domestic consumers will continue to receive the benefit of 300 free units for the relevant billing periods, as per existing conditions.

The minister clarified that the reconciliation process itself was not a billing error, but in some cases it created confusion among consumers because accumulated consumption was adjusted across different billing cycles.

Giving an example, he said that if a consumer used 250 units in two months and 410 units in the third month, the total consumption would be adjusted across the billing periods after the actual meter reading. This could result in the average monthly consumption crossing the 300-unit limit, leading to a higher bill.

The Power Minister also highlighted issues related to the transition to PSPCL’s new unified Single Billing System. He said that during the migration of a large amount of consumer data, certain software and data-related issues were detected, which affected some bills.

He said PSPCL has now fixed the technical issues and introduced new safeguards. Under the updated system, bills showing unusually high consumption compared to a consumer’s normal pattern will be flagged and verified before generation.

Sond said that a show-cause notice has also been issued to the concerned outsourcing company responsible for the software-related issues, and action will be taken as per rules.

PSPCL Chairman-cum-Managing Director Dr. Basant Garg said the department has already identified affected cases and started reconciliation of provisional bills with actual consumption. He assured that consumers would ultimately be charged only for the electricity they have actually consumed, and any excess payment would be adjusted in future bills.

The Power Minister appealed to consumers not to panic over high or provisional bills and assured that every genuine complaint would be examined and corrected. He reiterated that the government remains committed to providing transparent billing services and ensuring that all eligible beneficiaries receive the full benefit of the 300-unit free electricity scheme.

Hindusthan Samachar / GURSHARAN SINGH