Despite the Punjab government’s assurance that inflated electricity bills issued during the meter readers’ strike between April and July will be corrected and eligible consumers will not lose the benefit of 300 free units, hundreds of consumers in Jalandhar continue to face inflated provisional, or N-code, bills.The issue has affected consumers who received bills covering more than three to four months, with several claiming that the amounts are far higher than their usual consumption. Consumers said that despite approaching Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) offices for corrections, they are being told to pay the billed amount first and wait for adjustments in subsequent billing cycles.Sukhdeep Singh, a resident of Aman Nagar near the Pathankot bypass, said he received a four-month electricity bill of Rs 16,110 at the end of July, covering consumption from April to July.“Even during the peak summer months, I used to receive zero bills as my consumption remained below 300 units. I was asked to pay the amount by August 18. When I approached the department, officials told me to pay the bill for now and said the amount would be adjusted in the next billing cycle after verification,” he said.Similarly, Gurwinder Kaur, a resident of Boota Mandi, received an electricity bill of Rs 8,054.“When I approached the department, I was told that it is a system generated bill. They said my actual consumption would be checked, but no correction has been made so far and I am still being asked to pay the bill,” she said.PSPCL officials said N-code bills are provisional bills generated when actual meter readings are unavailable. During the strike by outsourced meter readers, such bills were calculated based on the consumer’s electricity consumption during the corresponding month of the previous year.The scale of the problem is evident from the number of complaints received by PSPCL divisions in Jalandhar. Jattvibeny Bhagra, XEN, Jalandhar East, said his division alone had received around 4,400 complaints of inflated bills issued in June and July.“After receiving these complaints, we have corrected the bills after verifying the meter readings,” he said.Complaints are also continuing at the subdivision level. Gaurav Multani, SDO (Commercial), Model Town division, said, “In my subdivision alone, I am receiving around 30 complaints daily.”While the government has announced a two-week deadline for resolving genuine complaints, officials at the ground level say they are yet to receive clear instructions on how the latest directions are to be implemented.A senior PSPCL official at the North Zone office in Jalandhar said, “Despite the announcement, we have not received any instructions about how the department will rectify these bills. We are also yet to receive details of the dedicated phone number announced for consumers to register their inflated bill-related complaints.”The concerns come a day after Power Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond announced special measures to ensure that no eligible consumer loses the benefit of 300 free units because of provisional, erroneous or inflated bills.The minister said the free-power benefit would be protected for 63,702 consumers across Punjab who were affected by provisional billing during the meter readers’ strike.The minister has also announced that a dedicated helpline would be issued shortly. A special team of 20 PSPCL personnel has already been deployed at the corporation’s headquarters to deal with billing-related grievances.However, for consumers in Jalandhar, the immediate concern remains the same where inflated bills have reached their doorsteps, while corrections and clear instructions on how they will receive relief are still awaited.