4 govt depts owe Rs 2,400 crore to PSPCL
Aman Sood
Patiala, January 16
4 authorities departments owe over Rs 2,400 crore to Punjab State Energy Company Restricted (PSPCL), which is 92.7 per cent of the whole defaulting quantity of Rs 2,605 crore pending in opposition to many departments.
As per information collected from the PSPCL, in 2015, 35 departments defaulted on Rs 374.10 crore invoice funds. The determine had gone up with 54 authorities departments owing Rs 2,605 crore until November 2022.
The dues have been Rs 2,245 crore in March 2021.
Primary defaulters
The 2 fundamental defaulters, the Water Provide and Sanitation Division (Rs 1,124 crore) and the Native Our bodies Division (Rs 881 crore), owe greater than Rs 2,000 crore
The arrears in opposition to the Native Our bodies Division have elevated by Rs 450 crore prior to now one yr
The Rural Improvement and Panchayats Division are to pay Rs 286 crore and the Well being Division owes an quantity of Rs 125 crore
The zone-wise break-up of departments in Punjab is as follows: West Zone (Rs 734 crore), South Zone (Rs 727 crore), Border Zone (Rs 712 crore), North Zone (Rs 304 crore) and Central Zone
(Rs 126 crore).
“The 2 fundamental defaulters, the Water Provide and Sanitation Division (Rs 1124 crore) and the Native Our bodies Division (Rs 881 crore), owe greater than Rs 2,000 crore. The arrears in opposition to the latter have elevated by Rs 450 crore prior to now one yr,” mentioned an officer.
The following two departments are the Rural Improvement and Panchayats Division (Rs 286 crore) and the Well being Division with arrears (Rs 125 crore).
“The 4 departments owe greater than Rs 2,415 crore, which implies 92.7 per cent of the whole defaulting quantity of Rs 2,605 crore,” mentioned All-India Energy Engineers Federation spokesperson VK Gupta.
The opposite departments with pending arrears are the Sewerage Board Rs 75 crore, Irrigation Division Rs 25 crore, Dwelling Affairs and Jails Rs 21 crore and Faculty Training Rs 11 crore. “Even the Energy Division owes Rs 2.38 crore,” mentioned officers.
The federal government ought to direct the departments to launch the funds to the PSPCL on a precedence foundation.
In the meantime, the departments declare that they don’t have ample funds to clear payments. Energy Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO mentioned he had taken up the difficulty.
“Since many of the providers are essential and fall underneath important providers, the PSPCL is not going to disconnect energy provide,” he mentioned.