PM Shehbaz orders action against officials for electricity overbilling

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to initiate an inquiry against the officials and officers of the power distribution companies who are involved in charging excess units in the electricity bills of the consumers, ARY News reported.

Chairing a meeting regarding reforms of the Power Sector and Solarisation, PM Shehbaz directed the concerned department to immediately suspend such officials

He said the ‘anti-public’ officers and officials, who are accessing electricity bills by adding extra units to the electricity bill, should be punished.

The prime minister said elements involved in charging excess units in the bills of protected consumers of below 200 unit per month should be exposed before the nation.

Meanwhile, the prime minister also ordered expediting the steps to generate electricity from renewable sources, saying that the country can no longer afford to generate electricity from imported fuel.

PM Shehbaz said power generation from low-cost renewable sources will provide relief to consumers in bills.

The prime minister directed the Power Division to immediately close the inefficient state-owned power generation plants that produce expensive electricity with imported fuel.

PM Shehbaz said the entire world is generating electricity from renewable energy and Pakistan has immense potential to generate electricity from solar energy. He stressed the need to take steps on a priority basis to have full advantage of the potential of solar energy.

Earlier in the day, the prime minister decided to abolish five federal ministries and sought a plan from the relevant ministries within a week

The ministries that are likely to be abolished included Information Technology, Kashmir Affairs, Science and Technology, Industry and Production, and Health Services, the sources privy to the development said.

They added that the relevant ministries started working on providing recommendations as directed by PM Shehbaz to abolish the same.

The sources added that the decision to abolish the ministries was taken in line with the demands made by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari who had been advocating for the abolition of certain federal ministries.

The sources said that the prime minister also sought the roles of the ministries that have been transferred to the provinces.