Chandigarh, Nov 13: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday announced a one-time settlement (OTS) scheme aimed at providing financial relief to over 24 lakh defaulting domestic electricity consumers across the state. Addressing a press conference, the Chief Minister stated that eligible consumers will have a 45-day window from the date of the official notification to opt into the scheme and regularize their pending accounts.
Under the provisions of the initiative, beneficiaries will only be required to settle the principal amount of their unpaid electricity bills, as the state government has decided to completely waive off accumulated penalties and interest charges on the defaulted sums. According to official figures shared during the briefing, the total outstanding dues across more than 24 lakh domestic consumers currently stand at Rs 2,516 crore.
“Domestic power consumers will be required to pay only the principal amount of their pending bills, with full relief from penalties and interest,” Mann declared, noting that the scheme is designed to ease the financial burden on households while helping clear long-pending arrears.
To make repayment manageable, the settlement structure allows consumers to deposit 25 per cent of the outstanding principal amount upfront upon applying. The remaining balance can then be cleared comfortably in two equal six-monthly instalments.
