Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday announced to introduce a one-time settlement scheme (OTS) for consumers who have defaulted the electricity bills or their power connections were disconnected due to financial constraints.
The CM said 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 Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (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.
Mann said the interest on delayed payment of pending dues of bills under OTS would be charged at a simple rate of nine per cent.
The CM said that no fixed charges will be charged if the period of connection addition from the date of disconnection is six months or less.
He said 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.
Mann 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 CM said 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.