NEPRA hears govt plea for Rs 7.91 hike in basic power tariff

ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) hearing the federal government’s petition seeking Rs 7.91 per unit hike in basic power tariff, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The electric power regulator will decide the matter after the hearing and forwarded its decision to the government for notification.

The NEPRA hearing, presided over by its chairman Tauseef Farooqui will take decision over the government plea for hike in basic tariff of all power distribution companies including the K-electric, the power utility, which supply electricity to Karachi.

The federal government has decided to hike the power tariff in phases. In the first phase, the government has suggested 3.5 rupees per unit hike in electricity tariff from July and another 3.5 rupees per unit increase from August. Moreover, another 91 paisa per unit hike in the basic tariff has been recommended from October.

Additional Secretary Power Division Mehfooz Bhatti in a briefing to the electric power regulator has said that the NEPRA had approved per unit 7.91 rupees hike in basic power tariff in June 04. “We want not to overburden the consumers with hike in tariff in one go”. The government will still give 220 billion rupees subsidy to consumers despite the hike in power tariff,” he said.

“The hike will not affect 50 percent consumers, government intends to enforcement of unanimous tariff in the country,” he added.