Akali Dal leader Daljit Singh Cheema says zero electricity bill families now forced to pay arrears

Chandigarh. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday alleged that 25 lakh households in Punjab, once served bills showing nothing to pay, have now been given just 45 days to clear their old dues. The dues fall under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s One Time Settlement (OTS) scheme.

Senior SAD leader and former minister Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said the scheme had exposed the government’s “dubious claims” on free electricity. “If 90 percent of domestic consumers were genuinely receiving zero electricity bills, where had these 25 lakh families suddenly come from?” he asked. “Why are they now being served fresh bills along with penalties reportedly amounting to ₹516 crore?”

Calling the OTS scheme “a farce” and a cruel joke on consumers, Cheema said people who were never served bills earlier were now being forced to cough up huge amounts in one go.

He alleged that the government had issued misleading bills earlier and that its free electricity scheme was “a political gimmick”. He said the same households now faced their actual dues and the threat of disconnection if they failed to pay. The threat comes from Powercom, as the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) is commonly called.

Domestic consumers in Punjab get up to 300 units of free electricity a month under the AAP government’s scheme. The Akali Dal’s attack on the billing comes ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.

Cheema demanded that the Bhagwant Mann government explain the entire billing exercise and take responsibility for the financial burden being placed on ordinary households.

“Punjab deserves answers, not gimmicks,” he said.