Punjab Launches Two Helplines for Electricity Bill Complaints
Chandigarh: Consumers facing problems such as incorrect or unusually high electricity bills in Punjab can now register their complaints through two dedicated helpline numbers. The government has said that complaints related to electricity billing will be taken up for resolution within 15 days.
Power Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sondh said the initiative is aimed at addressing consumers’ electricity-related concerns and making it easier for them to access government services.
Two Helpline Numbers for Consumers
Consumers can register complaints related to electricity bills by calling:
1613105055
1616650355
A team of 20 employees has been deployed to operate the helpline. The team will register complaints received from consumers and work on the process of resolving them.
Consumers can also lodge electricity-related complaints through the PSPCL Consumer Services app.
63,702 Consumers Identified for Rebilling
According to the information provided by the Punjab government, 63,702 consumers have been identified in connection with higher-than-expected bills and the non-availability of the benefit of up to 300 units of free electricity subsidy.
Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sondh said these consumers were issued bills based on average consumption during the meter readers’ strike. As a result, the subsidy applicable to up to 300 units for May and June could not be reflected correctly in their bills.
How the Average Consumption Formula Affected Bills
The billing issue arose because bills for the relevant period were prepared using average consumption based on the previous year.
For example, if a consumer used 250 units in May, the consumption was below the 300-unit free electricity limit. Under the applicable subsidy, the consumer should not have had to pay for those units.
If consumption remained at 250 units in June, the consumer would similarly qualify for the subsidy.
However, if consumption increased to 450 units in July because of higher summer usage, the total consumption for the three months would be 950 units.
Under the calculation described by the government, the three-month consumption was added together and divided by three, with the resulting average used for billing. This meant the free electricity benefit for May and June could not be reflected in the manner expected by eligible consumers.
The government has now identified the affected consumers and launched the dedicated helplines to address electricity billing-related grievances.