CHANDIGARH: A petition has been filed before Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission to issue direction to Punjab State Electricity Board to file immediately Annual Revenue Requirements (ARR).

Gurnek Brar a retired Superintending Engineer from PSEB has filed a writ petition  before the Commission (PSERC) seeking directions to PSEB as it has failed to file mandatory ARR for getting tariff fixed for next year.

Normally PSEB is supposed to file the revenue retirements along with expenditure details before PSERC by the end of November every year.

PSEB has not yet filed the ARR before commission who is to finalise the tariff for next year.

Last year PSERC had taken suomotu notice regarding revision of tariff as PSEB had failed to file ARR due to political reasons even in the extended period it had sought from commission. The revised tariff order was issued in August.

The hearing on yet another petition filed by PSEB Engineers Association before regulatory Commission regarding grant of subsidy payment by Punjab Government to PSEB is due Saturday.

Punjab Government has not released the subsidy payment due to precarious financial position of state , despite orders by the regulatory commission.

Meanwhile Punjab Government has written to Government of India to give another extension of six months to unbundle the Punjab State Electricity Board.

The present deadline for unbundling the PSEB February this year. The Government has sought extension this time that they needed more time as the consultants Earnest and Young appointed to do the job are yet to submit its report.

Additional Secretary Power along with board officials is in Delhi to convince the Power Ministry for the six month extension. This would be the eighth extension in this series.
`     1