Power corp not to accept cash above Rs 5,000
Violates its own instructions regarding acceptance of cash up to ` 10,000
Umesh Dewan
Tribune News Service

Patiala, August 9
Power consumers all over the state are facing extreme inconvenience on account of the non-acceptance of the power bills amounting to Rs 10,000 in cash.

Though, the bills issued by the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) clearly mentions that bills up to Rs 10,000 can be deposited in cash at the PSPCL local offices, but the authorities are ready to accept bills in cash only up to Rs 5,000.

According to the complaints received in this regard from several consumers, they have demanded that PSPCL should immediately clarify the matter whether the instructions mentioned on the bills with respect to the payment are incorrect and if so, the same must be rectified at the earliest.

Ashish Singhania, a resident of Ludhiana, complained that he went to deposit two of his bills of his residential accommodation in Model Town at the PSPCL office in the industrial area-A, but had to come back because authorities refused to accept the bill of Rs 6,420 and 7,350.

“The authorities stated that they will accept bills in cash only up to Rs 5,000,” he claimed. He further said, when he approached
the authorities at the grievance cell of the PSPCL, they expressed their
helplessness and asked him to talk to senior authorities in Patiala.

“It is really ironical that PSPCL is such a big corporation, but has no concern towards the problems being faced by the consumers because of the casual approach of the authorities. The authorities at the PSPCL offices in Jalandhar are not ready to accept the bills in cash above Rs 5,000. I failed to understand why the amount to be accepted in cash was mentioned at Rs 10,000 on the bills,” said Lakhwinder Sngh, a Jalandhar resident, while adding that he verbally brought the matter in the notice of the PSPCL authorities at Patiala Head Office, but failed to get any satisfactory reply.

These are not the only cases as many other consumers from across the state told The Tribune that PSPCL must clarify what is the correct amount for payment of the power bills in cash.

However, PSPCL Chief Engineer (Commercial) GS Ghuman said, “The instructions issued by PSPCL are to accept the bills amounting up to Rs 5,000 in cash. In some particular PSPCL offices, the problem may have arisen because of the old stationery. Otherwise, the latest instructions are to accept bills up to Rs 5,000 in cash.”

But contrary to his claims, consumers in Bathinda, Amritsar and Patiala, too, claimed that they were facing inconvenience because of the confusion prevailing in the acceptance of the bills in cash.
Refer CC No. 9/2010 Memo no. 8586/9386/loose-25 dated 17/2/2010