₹13-lakh bill pending, PSPCL turns off Khanna highway lights
Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond accuses NHAI of not paying power bill;PSPCL executive engineer Aman Gupta says NHAI failed to respond despite multiple communications
The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has disconnected the supply to streetlights installed along the national highway passing through Khanna after the National Highway Authorities of India (NHAI) failed to clear a pending electricity bill of ₹12.99 lakh. The disconnection of power supply has left stretches of the highway in darkness for the past one week, causing inconvenience to commuters and residents.
The matter came to fore after former Congress cabinet minister Gurkirat Kotli raised the issue. Later, cabinet minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond stepped in. Sond, along with PSPCL executive engineer Aman Gupta, held a press conference on Saturday. He said that despite repeated reminders, the NHAI had failed to clear the dues. “The responsibility of maintaining and paying for highway lights lies with the NHAI, which collects road tax from the public. It is unfortunate that the agency has ignored its basic responsibilities,” he said.
Sond further pointed out that the NHAI falls under the Union government with road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari at the helm. “Instead of fulfilling their duty, the NHAI has left Khanna residents to suffer due to their negligence. The PSPCL has been regularly writing to them, but when the dues were not paid, the connections had to be cut as a last resort,” he added.
According to PSPCL officials, the pending dues include ₹3.30 lakh, ₹2.37 lakh, ₹1.37 lakh, ₹63,000, ₹99,000 and ₹4.33 lakh across six different electricity meters installed between Bhattian Chowk and Samrala Chowk. “Despite multiple communications, NHAI officials failed to respond, leaving us with no choice but to disconnect supply,” said Gupta.
Minister Sond also criticised opposition leaders for spreading “misinformation” by blaming the Punjab government for the disconnection. “These streetlights are the responsibility of the NHAI, not the state. Our government believes in transparency and facts. The negligence lies entirely with NHAI, and we will continue to press them to clear the dues,” he asserted.
Local councillors and Aam Aadmi Party leaders present at the press conference also demanded that the Union government direct the NHAI to clear the bills immediately to restore lighting on the busy highway.
According to commuters, the disconnection of the power supply causes major problems and also invites road mishaps.
