PSPCL liable to pay for deficient services in Punjab State - Grewal

Chandigarh , 11 March 2014 -
A little known fact is that the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) is liable to compensate power consumers in case of a delay in repairing overhead line breakdowns, underground cable breakdowns, transformer failure, streetlight faults, voltage fluctuations, replacement of burnt and faulty meters, release of new connection etc.
The Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission has specified critical distribution parameters to provide efficient, reliable and safe system of power supply through its regulations provided in the supply code, said Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal, former vice-chairman of the Punjab Small Industry Export Corporation.
He said as 99.9 per cent power consumers were not aware of the supply code, they never sought compensation in case the PSPCL defaulted in replacing a burnt meter within five days of submitting the application, releasing a new connection within 30 days and repairing overhead line breakdowns in six hours in urban area and 12 hours in rural areas. He said because of this ignorance, consumers failed to get efficient services from the PSPCL.
Grewal said he had started a campaign in rural areas to make people aware of the supply code.
He said for a delay in repairing an overhead line, the PSPCL was liable to pay Rs 50 to the affected consumer in cities while the fine was more in rural areas. "There is a provision for compensation for each deficiency in service on the part of the PSPCL," he said.
Grewal said there were 65 lakh power consumers in the state. He said the PSPCL had received up to 2,500 applications for compensation in a year against “hundreds of complaints daily”.
He said he would meet chairman of the commission tomorrow to seek an independent mechanism to enlist the complaints, verify facts and announce compensation for the affected consumers.