PTI submits resolution in PA against hike in electricity bills

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) parliamentary leader in the Sindh Assembly, Khurrum Sher Zaman, along with fellow PTI MPAs on Thursday submitted a resolution in the provincial assembly against the power charges of the K-Electric (KE).

Zaman condemned the recent hike in the electricity bills and stated that the KE collected a huge amount in the head of fuel adjustment charges, due to which consumers that were not heavy users of electricity were forced to pay high electricity bills.

The PTI parliamentary leader outlined the recent number of increases approved by the regulator, National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), allowing the KE to collect different levels of fuel adjustment charges.

Zaman said that on August 12, Nepra allowed the KE to collect an additional Rs11.1023 per unit in the account of fuel adjustment charges for June 2022 from the consumers in their electricity bills for August and September 2022, which had a combined impact of Rs25 billion to be collected. On August 10, the regulator permitted the KE to collect an additional Rs0.5715 per unit on account of quarterly tariff adjustments for three months from June to August 2022 that would be charged in the next three months from August till October.

The resolution mentions that the fleecing of the K-Electric consumers continued as Nepra under the fuel adjustment charges for May 2022 allowed the KE to charge an extra Rs9.518 per unit in two months, including Rs2.6322 per unit in July and Rs6.886 per unit in August.

The PTI leader stated that exorbitant hikes in electricity bills had negatively impacted the monthly budgets of the public and destroyed the competitiveness of our industries. The resolution also accused the chief minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of allowing the KE to fleece the people of Karachi by not taking stance against it at the federal government level, in which it was a major partner.

Zaman demanded that the chief minister and Sindh government raise objections to the electricity price hikes with the federal government and Nepra. It added that if necessary, the PPP should resign from the federal cabinet to express solidarity with the people of Karachi.