Patiala: Power consumers across Punjab got a shocker after receiving inflated bills amounting to lakhs of rupees, allegedly due to technical glitches following a software migration undertaken by Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).Patiala: Power consumers across Punjab got a shocker after receiving inflated bills amounting to lakhs of rupees, allegedly due to technical glitches following a software migration undertaken by Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).Among those affected was Kamaljeet Singh, a resident of Patiala’s Urban Estate area, who was stunned after receiving a text message showing an electricity bill of ₹3.8 lakh. Accustomed to receiving a zero bill under the Punjab government’s free 600-unit electricity scheme, Singh immediately rushed to the local PSPCL sub-office to seek clarification.“I was shocked when I saw the message. I thought there must have been some mistake because I have never received such a bill before,” he said.Singh was not alone. The Urban Estate PSPCL office witnessed a rush of consumers seeking answers after receiving exorbitant bills. Another consumer, Vijay Rana, reported receiving a bill of nearly ₹2.45 lakh.PSPCL officials acknowledged that discrepancies in the billing system had led to the generation of inflated bills. The issue surfaced after the power utility migrated from its existing SAP-based billing platform to the customer care billing (CCB) system under the single billing system (SBS) project.According to officials, the problem was compounded by the ongoing strike by meter readers, which prevented the recording of actual electricity consumption. As a result, bills were generated based on average power usage, leading to inaccuracies in many cases.The issue primarily affected consumers without smart meters, whose electricity consumption still requires manual recording.The matter has also attracted the attention of the Punjab Transparency and Accountability Commission (PTAC), which issued a show-cause notice to PSPCL on May 15 over alleged systemic failures in its electricity billing mechanism. The commission claimed that nearly 19 lakh consumers across the state had been affected by delayed bills, inflated payment demands and related financial hardships.The notice addressed to PSPCL director (distribution) Inderpal Singh was based on the commission’s suo motu cognisance of media reports highlighting widespread public complaints. PTAC alleged that thousands of consumers received electricity bills after delays of four to five months, forcing them to pay accumulated dues in a single instalment.PTAC officials said PSPCL was directed to submit its response within seven days but had not done so yet.Meanwhile, a senior PSPCL official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the corporation had received hundreds of written complaints.“We have deployed junior engineers to verify actual meter readings and submit field reports. Based on these reports, revised and corrected bills will be issued to consumers,” the official said.To facilitate quicker resolution of complaints, PSPCL has advised affected consumers to visit their nearest office with a video recording of their electricity meter, approximately four minutes long, as proof of actual meter readings. Officials said bills could be corrected on the spot after verification.The official further admitted that the software transition resulted in widespread billing discrepancies, particularly in cases where actual meter readings were unavailable and provisional bills were generated based on estimated consumption.Confirming the development, PSPCL chairman-cum-managing director Basant Garg said the corporation was scrutinising every disputed bill and working to rectify software-related issues.“We are examining each and every bill that has been inflated. Simultaneously, efforts are underway to resolve the problems in the billing software. We are hopeful that the matter will be resolved at the earliest,” Garg said.