Ludhiana: PSPCL overcharging domestic consumers, says Ex MSME director
Dhillon pointed out that in Chandigarh, consumers pay only ₹30 per month and in Delhi, the maximum fixed charge is ₹100 per month; however, in Punjab, consumers are paying ₹800-900 per month, which he termed as excessive and unfair
Former director of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Government of India, Sukhbir Singh Dhillon has alleged that the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) is overcharging consumers by using an incorrect method to calculate fixed charges in electricity bills.
Comparing Punjab’s fixed charges with other states, Dhillon pointed out that in Chandigarh, consumers pay only ₹ 30 per month and in Delhi, the maximum fixed charge is ₹ 100 per month. However, in Punjab, consumers are paying ₹ 800-900 per month, which he termed as excessive and unfair.
Dhillon explained that fixed charges should be calculated using a specific formula in which 80% of the sanctioned load is multiplied by the fixed charge per kilowatt and adjusted according to the billing cycle where 1 is used for monthly billing and 0.5 for bimonthly billing.
However, Dhillon claims that PSPCL is wrongly using the number of days in a month instead of the correct billing factor, leading to inflated electricity bills. Dhillon has also written to the Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann, principal secretary (Power), and other PSPCL officials, through an email on March 11, demanding a correction in the formula to ensure fair billing.
However, defending its billing method, a revenue accountant from PSPCL’s Ludhiana Central Zone, speaking anonymously, stated that PSPCL is following the correct billing process. He explained that for consumers with a sanctioned load between 7 kW and 20 kW, PSPCL charges ₹ 110 per kW per month. For example, a consumer with a 10 kW sanctioned load is billed ₹ 880 per month as per the official guidelines set by the power corporation.
Additionally, PSPCL SE (Billing) Satwinder Singh Saithi refuted wrong billing claims, stating that fixed charges are calculated as per Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) guidelines. Since billing cycles and metre readings vary, PSPCL calculates fixed charges on a per-day basis. The annual fixed charge is divided by 365 days and then multiplied by the number of days in the billing period.
