Chandigarh, May 26:
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has announced to introduce a one-time settlement scheme (OTS) for consumers who have defaulted the electricity bills or their power connections were disconnected amid financial constraints.
The Chief Minister said that the scheme will continue for all categories of consumers especially industrial consumers for three months. He said that giving a golden opportunity to all categories of PSPCL consumers, especially industrial consumers, whose connections were disconnected following non-clearance of power bills or economical compulsions, the OTS has been launched for three months. Bhagwant Mann said that the interest on delayed payment of pending dues of bills under OTS would be charged at a simple rate of 9 per cent.
The Chief Minister said that no fixed charges will be charged if the period of connection addition from the date of disconnection is six months or less. Bhagwant Mann said that if the period of reconnecting the power connection from the date of disconnection is six months or more, then the fixed charges will be charged only for six months. He said that in a new initiative to facilitate the consumers, the balance amount under the scheme now could be deposited in four installments within a year.
The Chief Minister said that interest was charged at the rate of 18 per cent compounded on late payment on the outstanding defaulting amount of the bills and full-time fixed charges were charged from the date of disconnection to the period of connecting the connection, which has now been completely waived off. He said that it is a landmark initiative aimed at giving a major relief to the people. Bhagwant Mann asked the people to take full advantage of the scheme introduced in larger public interest.
