Karachi Chamber criticises increase in power tariff

KARACHI: The Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has criticised the government for giving a green signal to K-Electric to raise tariff from 19 percent to 30 percent under various slabs for residential consumers.
President KCCI Iftikhar Ahmed Vohra said on Thursday that this unjust hike appeared in K-Electric bills received during the month of August is, “a shock for everyone,” particularly the poor and middle-class segments of society.
He noted that K-electric’s tariff was raised by 26 percent (Rs10.20 per unit) for consumers of 201-300 units, 30 percent (Rs16.00 per unit) for consumers of 301-700 units and 19 percent (Rs18.00 per unit) for consumers of more than 700 units.
The chamber president said although the government notified raise in electricity tariff for residential consumers through a notification but it was neither available on K-Electric’s website nor on the websites of Ministry of Water and Power and National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), restricting the public from analyzing why that raise was even applied.
Vohra said it is a matter of grave concern that NEPRA, which usually holds public hearings prior to revising electricity tariff, granted the raise without staging a single hearing.
“This anti-public step would prove counterproductive as it might affect K-electric’s recoveries because the people won’t be able to pay off those exorbitant bills and the situation might leave no other option for them but to go for illegal means including electricity theft via Kunda connection,” he said.
President KCCI further mentioned that the international oil prices have declined sharply and are at all-time low, therefore K-Electric’s operating expenditures should have gone down nowadays.
“It is highly unfair on part of the government to give go ahead to K-Electric to raise tariff without considering the current scenario and without even thinking of the negative after-effects on the lives of the masses,” he added.
Vohra urged the government to immediately withdraw that unjust hike as it would terribly affect common man’s life in the ongoing era of inflation.
The upsurge in electricity tariff will also have an impact on prices of numerous household goods and exert unbearable pressure on the citizens of Karachi.