PHC stops FPA charges collection

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has stopped the relevant departments from collecting fuel price adjustment (FPA) charges from consumers in the electricity bills. A division bench of the PHC comprising Justice Roohul Amin and Justice Shahid Khan heard arguments from both sides.

The bench issued notices to Wapda and Pesco and stopped them from collecting FPA in bills till further orders. A local lawyer Shahid Qayyum Khattak had filed a writ petition in the PHC after hundreds of thousands of consumers were sent huge amounts as FPA charges in electricity bills.

The counsel argued that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa produced sufficient power from water which was provided to the national grid. He added that despite the province producing electricity from water, charging the consumers of the province for FPA is illegal and should be stopped. 

The court after hearing arguments stopped Wapda and Pesco from collecting FPA from consumers and issued notices to the respondents for the next hearing.

Hundreds of thousands of middle, lower middle class and poor families were unable to pay such huge charges after they were already finding it difficult to run their kitchens with meagre salaries and income due to unprecedented inflation.

The Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court had also stopped Wapda and distribution companies from collecting the charges from the electricity consumers a couple of days back. Besides, the Supreme Court of Pakistan was also moved recently against the FPA.