Floods: PM Shehbaz Sharif demanded to waive off electricity bills

KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Energy Imtiaz Shaikh on Friday demanded of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to waive off electricity bills for the next three months in flood-hit areas of the province, ARY NEWS reported.

In a statement issued today, Imtiaz Shaikh welcomed an announcement of exempting fuel adjustment charges for consumers receiving upto 300-unit electricity bills and said that it would provide relief to marginalized segments of the society.

He asked the prime minister to further provide relief to people in flood hit areas and waive off their monthly bills for three months.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extended the exemption for fuel adjustment charges (FAC) in August’s billing to consumers using 300 units of electricity.

Addressing a meeting of party lawmakers in Islamabad, the prime minister said that the coalition government in first phase announced an exemption to power users consuming 200 units which has now extended to 300 units.

The prime minister also proposed waiving the electricity bills of the consumers in flood-affected areas and exempting the farmers from ‘abiyana’ (water charges on crop irrigation) in calamity-hit places.

The prime minister mentioned that Pakistan was facing extreme challenges while meeting the requirements of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), even while taking steps to give subsidy on electricity.

Shehbaz Sharif said the government was making untiring efforts to mitigate the sufferings of the people affected by floods.