PSPCL to recover Rs 2.37 crore from 366 gaushalas for free power

PATIALA: The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has decided to recover the amount of free power it supplied to gaushalas as the state government has failed to make any budgetary provisions for the same. PSPCL provided free power to 366 gaushalas from March 2016 to May 2017. According to official records, the corporation will realise a recovery of Rs 2.37 crore.

The corporation decided on the recovery route following the dismissal of a petition by the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC), in which PSPCL had sought approval to provide free power to cow shelters.

It was in December 2014 that the then SAD-BJP government in Punjab had decided to provide free power to the 366 gaushalas and the annual liability was worked out to Rs 4.57 crore. A notification to this effect was issued on March 28, 2016. However, in July 2016, the state finance department had refused to spare money for the gaushalas. In May 2017, the PSPCL announced to discontinue the free power supply to gaushalas.

The PSPCL had also filed a petition before the electricity regulator, for approval to provide free electricity to registered gaushalas in Punjab subject to a provision of subsidy and issuance of a required notification to the effect by the state government. During the pendency of the petition, the decision was held in abeyance till the issue of notification of subsidy and budgetary provision by the state government.

However, during the subsequent hearings, the state government told the regulator that the finance department had refused to spare the money and thus government had not issued a notification for the same. In the absence of notification, the PSERC dismissed the petition in October, last year.

Based on the dismissal of the petition, the PSPCL has now issued a notification to make recovery for the amount of free power supplied to the gaushalas from March 2016 till May 2017. The corporation stated that it has decided to bill the gaushalas according to the relevant category of the tariff.

A senior official of PSPCL, who did not wish to be quoted, said the corporation had supplied free power worth Rs 2.37 crore to the 366 gaushalas in Punjab from March 2016 to May 2017. He said the corporation has initiated the process to send fresh bills to the gaushalas along with the arrears of the period during which free power had been supplied to the cow shelters.