Nearly three weeks into the indefinite strike by outsourced Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) employees, electricity billing operations in Ludhiana’s Central Zone continue to remain severely disrupted, with over 1.10 lakh consumer bills yet to be delivered. To ensure the monthly billing cycle is not stalled, the corporation has begun issuing provisional N-code bills based on consumers’ previous electricity consumption.An N-code bill is a provisional electricity bill generated when fresh meter readings are unavailable. (HT File)An N-code bill is a provisional electricity bill generated when fresh meter readings are unavailable.PSPCL officials said these bills are prepared using consumers’ past consumption records available in the system. Any difference between the estimated and actual consumption will automatically be adjusted in subsequent billing cycles once regular meter reading resumes.According to official data, 1,18,286 electricity bills were scheduled to be issued during the current billing cycle across the central zone. However, only 7,836 provisional bills have been generated so far, while 1,10,450 bills are still pending.The suburban Ludhiana circle has recorded the highest number of provisional bills, with 6,330 consumers receiving N-code bills. Khanna circle has issued 733 such bills, followed by city west Ludhiana with 685 and city east Ludhiana with just 88. Officials attributed the variation to the phased rollout of provisional billing across different divisions.The disruption stems from the ongoing strike by outsourced employees, including meter readers, whose absence has affected several consumer services such as meter reading, complaint redressal, Suvidha Centre operations, replacement of faulty meters and the processing of new electricity connections. While the corporation has managed to maintain an uninterrupted power supply through alternative arrangements, routine field operations continue to be hit.Chief engineer (central zone) Jagdev Singh Hans said the remaining provisional bills would be generated and delivered within the next two to three days. He urged consumers to pay the bills within the stipulated due date, assuring them that any variation between provisional and actual consumption would be automatically adjusted once physical meter reading resumes.Officials said the provisional billing system has been introduced only as a temporary measure to maintain the monthly billing cycle until the strike ends and normal field operations are restored.The outsourced employees resumed their indefinite strike after alleging that PSPCL had failed to honour its commitment regarding their absorption under departmental contracts.