NEPRA to Hold Public Hearing for Overbilling by Power Distribution Companies

The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority will hold a public hearing for billing and consumer complaints on 30 September. ProPakistani exposed the overbilling by power distribution companies that exceeded 31 days in a report detailing that consumers had been intentionally fleeced to change the slab of consumption. The Minister for Energy, Hammad Azhar, had taken notice and ordered an investigation of the matter. Electricity consumers in Multan, Sukkur, Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad were reportedly burdened with overbilling during the last eight months, and consumers in Hyderabad, Gujranwala, and Faisalabad had also fallen victim to it. The bills they had received were for 31-37 days instead of the stipulated 31 days. National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) officials confirmed in a reply to the Standing Committee on Power that distributions companies often resorted to overbilling cycles of over 30 days, and that the DISCOS had attributed it to the Eid-ul-Azha and Ashura holidays. Furthermore, the NEPRA had also confirmed a shortage of meter reading staff in the DISCOS. It is estimated that billions of rupees have been swindled from consumers on account of the extended billing cycle. The consumers’ slabs are from 1 to 100 units, 101 to 300 units, 301 to 700 units, and so on.