Against the backdrop of mounting pending electricity bills of over ₹2,500 crore owed by various government departments, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has decided to introduce prepaid smart metering for all government electricity connections across the state from February 15.
Under the new system, electricity supply to government offices will be automatically disconnected once the prepaid balance is exhausted. However, disconnections will be carried out only during a fixed window – between 10 am and 1 pm on working days. Supply will be restored automatically upon recharge, and no reconnection fee will be charged.
The instructions, issued on Saturday, have been circulated to all chief engineers, deputy chief engineers and superintending engineers across PSPCL’s distribution zones to ensure uniform implementation of the policy.
The move comes amid a growing financial burden on the power utility, as several government departments have emerged as chronic defaulters by failing to clear electricity dues. Official estimates put outstanding payments from government entities at more than ₹2,500 crore. Punjab currently has around 52,000 government electricity connections, of which nearly 38,000 have already been equipped with smart meters, a prerequisite for prepaid metering.
“As per the provisions of Regulation No 21 of the Supply Code-2014 (as amended), it has been decided to introduce smart prepaid meters for existing and new government connections in PSPCL with a contract demand of up to 45 kVA,” read the official communication issued by the power utility. The guidelines cover single-phase connections with a sanctioned load of up to 7 kW and three-phase connections ranging from 7 kW to 45 kVA, with a current limit of 100 amperes.
Only one meter allowed per premise
PSPCL has also clarified that only one electricity meter will be permitted for a single premise. This will apply to grid stations, sub-divisional offices and other nearby board offices. Multiple or separate connections within the same premises will be removed as part of a rationalisation exercise.
Officials said PSPCL will procure and install the prepaid smart meters at its own cost. However, government departments will be required to make advance payments for electricity consumption. Existing consumption security deposits will be adjusted or refunded in accordance with prescribed norms.
PSPCL said the objective of the move is to improve billing efficiency, enhance transparency and promote responsible energy consumption across government establishments.
“Since government departments will now be required to make advance payments, they have been advised to put in place appropriate accounting mechanisms. Each department must appoint a nodal officer for every electricity connection and convey the details with the utility,” the communication said. “Existing consumers will be served a 15-day notice for conversion to prepaid metering, which will include details of electricity consumption over the past 12 months,” the letter further read.
6 months grace period for reconnection of services
The minimum recharge amount for government connections has been fixed at ₹1,000. However, departments have been advised to maintain an initial recharge equivalent to at least one month’s billed amount, based on last year’s consumption, to avoid disconnection.
Under the scheme, alert messages will be generated when the prepaid balance falls to 50 per cent, 25 per cent and 10 per cent of the last recharge amount. Alerts will appear on the meter and metering system and will also be sent through SMS, registered email and the PSPCL mobile application. In case of non-recharge, a temporarily disconnected connection can be restored within six months, but only after recharging an amount sufficient to recover the monthly fixed charges, even if there is no consumption during the disconnection period. If the account is not recharged within six months, the connection will be permanently disconnected and the meter physically removed.
The standard operating procedures further stipulate that smart meters must be installed strictly outside consumer premises, preferably on poles, pillars or in meter boxes.
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