Punjab waives outstanding electricity bills till Dec 2021
Darpan News Desk IANS, 04 Aug, 2022 10:25 AM
Chandigarh, Aug 4 (IANS) Fulfilling yet another promise made by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Maan to the people of the state, the Punjab government has waived outstanding electricity bills of all domestic category consumers till December 31, 2021.
The Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) has issued a notification in this regard.
Announcing an amnesty for defaulting domestic electricity consumers, Power Minister Harbhajan Singh said the outstanding electricity bills till December 31, 2021, of those who have not paid their dues till June 30, 2022, have been waived.
The minister said those disconnected power connections, which are not possible to restore, will be issued again by the PSPCL on the request of the applicant.
He said the charges incurred for the new domestic electricity connection, which are to be paid by the electricity consumers, will also be reimbursed by the Punjab government to the PSPCL.
All other consumers like government hospitals, dispensaries, places of worship, government sports institutes, military rest houses, government aided educational institutes and attached hostels, etc, will not be covered under this amnesty scheme.
The government has been providing 300 units free electricity to all eligible residents of state every month.
The case pertains to a blast that occurred in District Court Complex, Ludhiana on December 23, 2021 in which one person died and six persons were injured. Initially, a case was lodged by Lidhiana Police in 2021 and later the probe was taken over by the NIA in 2022.
The protest, which was led by BJP Yuva Morcha's national secretary Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga and its national president Tejasvi Surya, started around 10.30 a.m. from the IP College to the Chief Minister's residence.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on March 27 had announced that Central Civil Service Rules will be implemented for all employees under Chandigarh Administration. This decision has evoked sharp criticism from Punjab leaders who, cutting across party lines, termed it "an encroachment on Punjab's rights".
At a meeting with the Punjab Revenue Officers Association here, the minister assured representatives of the association that all their demands will be considered sympathetically, while asking them to immediately join their offices in larger public interest.
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