Consumers protest inflated bills as slab benefit axed

LAHORE: Power consumers claim being a victim of double whammy of upward revision in tariff and elimination of lower slab benefit.

Much to their dismay, besides increasing the cost of electricity, the government has also quietly eliminated the one-slab benefit due to which many people are receiving inflated bills. As per the earlier practice, the distribution companies used to send bills to domestic consumers on the basis of one-slab benefit. Under this facility, if a consumer consumed 350 units a month, he would get a lower rate of 1 to 300 units and a separate higher rate of 301 to 400 units for the remaining 50 units.

Now this facility has been terminated for all domestic consumers, except the protected category of consumers.

Now the unprotected consumers will be charged at the rate of last number of units used i.e. the slab rate of 301 to 400 units will be charged for consuming the entire 350 units. For using 150 units under the slab benefit, earlier 100 units cost Rs13.48 and for the remaining 50 units, the user was charged Rs18.58 per unit. But now the user consuming 150 units will be charged the higher tariff of Rs18.58 per unit.