Chandigarh, Feb. 28 -- The Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday declined Punjab's request to vacate the stay imposed by the court on delineating properties of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) on February 20. The stay will continue till March 13, the next date of hearing. It was imposed while acting on a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging that the PSPCL had been pushed into a severe financial crisis due to unpaid electricity dues from state government departments to the tune of Rs.2,500 crore, and that it is selling its valuable public assets to tide over the crisis. During the hearing on Friday, state's advocate general MS Bedi started his arguments questioning maintainability of the petition and said that it has been filed merely on the basis of news reports. He further said that PSPCL is in profit of Rs.6,000 crore and the government is not selling the properties and in fact, being given to Punjab Urban Development Authority for development." . the decision to alienate properties of the PSPCL, falls within exclusive domain of public policy, since the same is based on the cabinet approval of 'Optimum Use of Vacant Government Land Scheme' (OUVGL) passed way back in the Year 1997," the AG had submitted adding that in view of this the stay should be vacated as in policy matters courts' refrain from interference in PILs. Appearing for the petitioner, senior advocate Baltej Singh Sidhu had questioned the submissions arguing that a reply on behalf of the PSPCL has been filed by a junior level officer and not by the chairman or any other senior functionary of the PSPCL. The state government is yet to respond to the plea. They should file the reply first, he had submitted opposing the demand. Despite repeated requests from the state's AG, the court did not yield and at one of point of time observed that "something appears fishy (here)" ".keeping the question of maintainability open, this court is of the prima facie view that if the contention of learned counsel for the petitioner is correct, that respondent No. 5/PSPCL is under a huge burden of Rs. 2582/- crore and the State is proceeding to alienate the properties of respondent No. 5, then the issue definitely falls, prima facie, within four corners of public interest," the bench of chief justice Sheel Nagu and justice Sanjiv Berry observed while fixing the matter for hearing on March 13 and asking the state to file a para-wise reply of the petition. The PIL filed in January had initially alleged that the government is yet to pay Rs.2,582.24 crore in electricity dues, apart from power subsidy arrears exceeding Rs.10,000 crore and further it was selling its properties. However, on February 20, an application was filed challenging a move to delineate 50 acres of land in Patiala, while the issue was under consideration before the court. It was on this application, HC had restrained Punjab and PSPCL from delineating from PSPCL properties....