Rajkot: Paschim Gujarat Vij Company Limited (PGVCL) has launched a mega disconnection drive targeting power consumers with pending dues across the Saurashtra and Kutch regions.

The special campaign, observed as “Disconnection Day”, aims to recover outstanding electricity bills of around ₹650 crore across 12 circles in the Saurashtra–Kutch region. According to PGVCL officials, nearly 28.68 lakh consumers have pending dues ranging from two to six months.

With the financial year ending in March, the power utility has prepared a comprehensive list of defaulting residential, industrial and agricultural consumers. Officials clarified that municipal bodies with pending bills have been excluded from the drive as they fall under essential services.

Deputy Engineer D.N. Patel of the Morbi Road Sub-Division in Rajkot said a list of the top 3,000 high-value defaulters has been finalised. Dedicated teams will visit these premises to disconnect power supply, and reconnection will be allowed only after full payment of outstanding dues.

He said February 25 has been designated as Disconnection Day to strictly enforce power cuts rather than collect payments on the spot. “Consumers often clear their dues only when teams reach to disconnect supply. This has become a pattern. The drive is aimed at instilling payment discipline,” he said.

Around 2,700 PGVCL personnel have been deployed across districts to carry out the operation. While police deployment has not been required so far, officials said assistance will be sought in sensitive areas if needed.

PGVCL Finance Department General Manager Kintukumar Malakana said total outstanding dues in the 12 circles stand at about ₹650 crore. He reiterated that defaulting consumers in residential, industrial and agricultural categories will face immediate disconnection under the campaign.

Officials expressed hope that the large-scale drive will significantly boost revenue recovery before the close of the 2025–26 financial year. DeshGujarat