No power connections to illegal colonies: PSPCL

Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, June 15

The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has decided not to issue new electricity connections to illegal and unlicensed colonies in the state.

Information provided by the PSPCL Chief Engineer/Central Zone to social activist Rachpal Singh under the Right to Information Act read that the directions were issued to all four heads of circles (under central zone) for strict compliance with the provisions made in the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act (PAPRA), 1995, and also in the policy for regularisation of illegal colonies introduced by the Housing and Urban Development Department, Punjab.

It was mandated in the PAPRA and later in the policy that “No department of the Central Government or the state government or authority or municipality or board shall sanction any building plan, give water connection, sewerage connection, telephone connection or electricity connection to any building or land situated in a colony or building in respect of which license has not been obtained from a competent authority.”

In this regard, the chief administrator of GLADA had written to the PSPCL Chief Engineer/Central Zone on December 11, 2020, about the non-compliance of provisions made in PAPRA and explicit directions issued by the state government through the Housing and Urban Development Department, Punjab.

GLADA Chief had pointed out that electricity connections were being given to residents in unlicensed and illegal colonies without asking for an NOC from GLADA, which had given rise to proliferation of such colonies.

Notably, the PSPCL headquarters had also issued directions to all zonal heads to ensure that no electricity connection was issued in the name of developer of a colony which had not obtained a licence from the competent authority and further to make sure that temporary connection issued in the name of a developer was not misused to divert supply to its residents or allottees.