Protests against inflated power bills continue in different cities of Pakistan,
PESCO orders removal of green number plates from vehicles,
Islamabad_The government has decided to withdraw free electricity units being given to officials of Distribution Companies (Discos), This was announced by the Federal Secretary of Power Division Rashid Mahmood Langrial during a media briefing on Saturday to explain the current state of electricity tariffs. He was accompanied by Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi. The federal secretary said that the department has decided to discontinue the facility of free electricity to the employees of the Discos.
Murtaza Solangi acknowledged the difficulties faced by the people due to the escalating electricity prices. In response, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar had called a high-level meeting on Sunday to address concerns related to electricity pricing, he added. He said all stakeholders within the power sector would participate in the meeting. “The prime minister has directed the ministry of energy and the power distribution companies to present detailed briefing over the issue, he added.
He said that the meeting would mull over the provision of maximum relief to the masses over electricity bills. The PM would hold consultations to provide maximum relief to power consumers, he added. The Secretary of the Power Division informed the media that the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) determined electricity tariffs using three distinct methodologies. The three-month tariff adjustment was meant for new power plants, he said, adding electricity prices were subject to fluctuations based on the Consumer Price Index. Moreover, he elaborated on the necessity of tariff alterations due to the upsurge in KIBOR rates. However, fuel price adjustments also impacted electricity costs. In the fiscal year 2023, the tariff was initially set at Rs 195 per dollar, but the value of the dollar surged to Rs284.
“We initially aimed to set the price of RNLG at Rs 3,183 per MMBTU, however, the actual price ranged between Rs 3,000 and Rs 3,800,” he noted. Similarly, the secretary said the price range for imported coal fell between Rs 51,000 and Rs 61,000 per metric ton. He further disclosed that a staggering Rs 2 trillion would be exclusively allocated to capacity payments in the upcoming year. The increase in electricity tariffs predominantly affected consumers utilizing more than 400 units, he said, adding the tariff remained unchanged for 63.5 percent of domestic consumers. For 31.6 percent of domestic consumers, he said electricity prices saw an uptick of up to Rs 6.5 per unit.
Notably, a tariff of Rs 7.5 per unit was only applied to 4.9 percent of domestic consumers, he added. Langrial asserted that the average tariff increase for domestic consumers stood at Rs 3.82. “In July 2022, the highest recorded electricity tariff was Rs 31.02 per unit,” he affirmed, also revealing that by August 2023, the price had increased to only Rs 33.89 per unit. He confirmed that the facility of free electricity units to DISCO officers would be discontinued, emphasizing that the burden was not being transferred to regular bill-paying individuals.
Meanwhile,
Protests against inflated power bills continued in different cities on Sunday as the people demanded that government servants also pay the bills. Footage showed the people took to the streets and burned the bills. The hashtag “Electricity Bills” was still among the top trends on X as they shared videos and pictures of their bills. The government was scheduled to meet today (Sunday) for an emergency meeting on exorbitant bills. The meeting has been summoned to provide maximum relief to the people.
Officials from water and power distribution companies would attend the meeting. The government has set up a control room for monitoring. The Lahore chapter of Jamaat-e-Islami held a protest in the city. “Sixteen types of taxes have been added to the bill,” JI leader Ahmed Salman Baloch. “Poor people pay the bill while the elites use billions of rupees of free electricity.” Protesters in Bahawalpur blocked the National Highway that connects Sindh and Punjab.
Protesters in Azad Jammu and Kashmir announced that they would start the ‘Metre Utaro’ campaign on September 6. While in Kotli, many people chanted slogans of ‘Mehngi Bijli Na Manzoor’. According to the government, the increase in electricity tariffs has affected consumers utilising more than 400 units while the tariff remained unchanged for 63.5% of domestic consumers. The electricity price was hiked to Rs6.5 per unit for 31.6% of domestic consumers, Federal Secretary of the Power Division Rashid Mahmood Langrial said on Saturday.
On Sunday, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement called on the government to take immediate steps to address the people’s concerns. If steps are not taken for immediate relief regarding electricity bills, then — due to the difficulties being faced by the people — we will not only be forced to become a part of their protest but will […] also have to announce some steps,” Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said at a press conference in Karachi. Siddiqui lamented that the burden of Wapda’s circular debt was being put on the shoulders of the people of Karachi.
Amid increasing protests against power utilities, the Peshawar Electric Supply Cooperation (Pesco) has directed the staff to remove all green number plates from its vehicles. In a circular, the utility officials directed the staff to put the non-essential vehicles off the road to prevent likely damage by enraged protesters. The power utility has also asked for police protection for its seven sub-divisions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the people have taken to the streets to protest against their inflated electricity bill. Pesco in its letter to Peshawar police warned of possible vandalisation of its properties.
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