In view of the electricity-related issues plaguing government schools, health institutions, and other government offices in Punjab due to the installation of prepaid electricity meters, the Finance Department has taken a major decision. The department has approved the release of advance funds to various government institutions specifically for electricity recharges, ensuring that power supply remains uninterrupted and is not disrupted due to delays in timely recharging.
According to reports, complaints began pouring in shortly after smart prepaid meters were installed in the offices of various departments across several districts of the state. This situation arose because, under standard government protocols, electricity bills could only be paid after undergoing a lengthy bureaucratic process and obtaining final approval from the designated financial officer.
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**No Disconnection Even with Pending Bills**
Bills for many departments would often remain pending for months on end; however, given their status as government entities, their electricity connections were never disconnected. Instead, the outstanding arrears would simply continue to accumulate. Under this previous system, no one faced any inconvenience, as the electricity supply remained continuous regardless of whether payments were made or not. However, the installation of prepaid meters brought about a sudden and drastic change to this dynamic. As the name implies, prepaid meters are designed to automatically cut off the power supply—typically after issuing one or two warnings—once the available credit balance has been exhausted. Consequently, over the past few months, the Finance Department had been receiving a steady stream of complaints from across the state, accompanied by urgent requests to devise an alternative mechanism to address this issue.
**Advance Funds to be Based on Previous Year’s Consumption**
Once the matter was brought to the attention of Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, a decision was reached following a meeting with senior officials. To effectively tackle the situation created by the introduction of prepaid meters, it was decided that the concerned schools and government offices would be authorized to recharge their prepaid electricity meters each month using an average monthly allocation calculated based on their actual electricity consumption during the preceding financial year.
**Letters Issued to Heads of Departments and Deputy Commissioners**
This new arrangement is designed to serve a dual purpose: it will ensure continued oversight and control over expenditure, while simultaneously guaranteeing that there are no disruptions to the electricity supply. In this regard, the Finance Department has issued letters to all Heads of Departments and Deputy Commissioners, formally notifying them of the approval granted.
To ensure the maintenance of this arrangement, the Drawing and Disbursing Officers (DDOs) of the concerned offices have been directed to obtain a certificate from PSPCL regarding the average monthly consumption of their respective offices, and subsequently transfer the corresponding amount for this consumption from the government treasury to the relevant PSPCL account in advance. This measure will ensure the regular recharging of electricity meters.
