PATIALA: PSPCL.s defaulting amount from government departments has risen to Rs.2733.52 crores and Water supply and sanitation Local Government with 1032.94 crores is the biggest defaulter. Water supply and sanitation Local Government , Rural development , Panchayat and Health and family welfare owe 90 % of total defaulting amount .
Water supply and sanitation owes Rs. 10 32.94 crores, Local Government 936.32 crores, Rural development and Panchayat 363.07 crores and Health and family welfare 146.69 crores are the four main defaulter departments of Punjab government. They owe Rs. 2479.65 crores of the total Rs.2733.52 crores defaulting amount.
The next six defaulter departments owe Rs. 155.71 crores and they are Sewerage board (Rs.63.02 crores) , School education (Rs. 31.10 crores Home affairs (Rs. 26.92 crores), Defence service welfare 13.72 crores, Irrigation 10.90 crores, Public Works (Rs. 9.47 crores) .
The balance of 98.16 crores is pending against 45 departments and others. The others pending dues are 31.09 crores.
Zone wise the pending defaulting amount of government departments l is maximum for the border zone closely followed by the west zone. The amounts are Border zone (Rs.642.81 crores ) West zone (Rs..630.88 crores), North zone (Rs.422.23 crores) South zone Rs 396.24 crores , and central zone (Rs.333.50 crores) making a total of 2733.52 crores.
A retired engineer said that the financial survival of Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd. (PSPCL) hinges on the timely payment of complete subsidy and the clearance of dues of defaulting government departments as tariff has been lowered this year and line losses have been proposed . . In absence of timely payments the financial condition of PSPCL may deteriorate and a stage could reach where payment of employees salaries may come under a question mark.