In an effort to improve its deteriorating fiscal health amid mounting electricity dues, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has intensified its recovery and disconnection drive against consumers who have failed to pay their bills across the North Zone.As per the latest data, 3.64 lakh defaulting consumers across Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Nawanshahr and Hoshiarpur owed the utility Rs 410.22 crore till July. Against this, the PSPCL managed to recover Rs 77.76 crore from 47,945 cases between July 1 and August 28, leaving nearly Rs 332.46 crore still to be recovered.With a substantial amount still locked in unpaid bills, the utility has stepped up enforcement action. It has issued permanent disconnection orders against 50,759 consumers across the four circles. Jalandhar accounts for the largest share of these with 23,595 disconnections, followed by Kapurthala 14,328, Nawanshahr 6,773 and Hoshiarpur 6,063.The drive, launched on July 1, is expected to continue until further instructions. The circle-wise figures also show that the problem is acute in Jalandhar, which accounts for nearly two-thirds of the total outstanding dues in the North Zone.Of Rs 410.22 crore pending across the four circles, Jalandhar alone accounts for Rs 268.46 crore. However, only Rs 33.10 crore had been recovered so far. Kapurthala follows with Rs 83.97 crore in outstanding dues, of which Rs 16.77 crore had been recovered.Hoshiarpur had Rs 45.04 crore pending, against which Rs 20.23 crore had been recovered while Nawanshahr has the lowest outstanding amount at Rs 12.74 crore, of which Rs 7.63 crore had been recovered.At the divisional level, the Model Town office in Jalandhar alone has Rs 105.64 crore in pending electricity dues more than a quarter of the total dues in the North Zone. The PSPCL had recovered only Rs 8.75 crore from the division during the ongoing drive.Jalandhar West has the next highest outstanding amount at Rs 59.28 crore, but only Rs 4.59 crore had been recovered. Jalandhar Cantt has Rs 52.18 crore pending, with Rs 4.01 crore recovered, while Jalandhar East has dues of Rs 26.36 crore, of which Rs 12 crore recovered. Phagwara division has Rs 24.98 crore pending, against which Rs 3.74 crore had been recovered.The figures also highlights the scale of the challenge before the PSPCL where despite recovering nearly Rs 78 crore in less than two months, a much larger amount remains locked in unpaid bills.Explaining the recovery process, a PSPCL official said consumers whose electricity bills remain unpaid for more than 60 days are classified as defaulters.“During the drive, such consumers are served notices and given a 10-day window to clear their outstanding dues. If they fail to comply, their electricity connections are disconnected,” the official said.The utility restores connections only after the consumer clears the pending bills in full, the official added.Chief Engineer Sarabjit Singh said, “The recovery drive is a part of the corporation’s statewide exercise. Consumers are advised to ensure timely payment of their electricity bills so that they do not have to bear additional surcharges on delayed payments. Timely payment not only helps consumers avoid unnecessary financial burden but also enables the corporation to maintain a healthy revenue cycle to ensure stable power supply.”