Power companies should face action for overcharging consumers: Rabbani

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani on Tuesday castigated country’s power distribution companies (Discos) for overcharging consumers, saying that action should be initiated against them for the ‘criminal activity’, ARY News reported.

The statement came after the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) exposed the “most controversial power theft drive” of the power distribution companies (Discos), defrauding consumers of billions of rupees by overcharging them as much as 100 percent.

The regulatory authority, in its inquiry report, claimed that the distribution companies were intentionally engaging in such malpractices to conceal their inefficiencies, causing thousands of consumers to suffer from higher electricity bills.

In a statement, the PPP Senator said that the NEPRA’s inquiry had revealed the “mother of all scams, as power firms have been skinning alive users through inflated bills”.

Raza Rabbani noted that the inquiry report had called into question the integrity of Discos’ entire revenue stream. “The report found that the actual amount charged to users differed from the snapshot of the meter reading available on the bills,” he added.

“The revelations in the report amount to criminal activity,” Rabbani said, adding that the Discos should be proceeded against. He also demanded that the over charged amount should be adjusted against users’ bills.

The Senator further said that the Nepra report should be placed before the Senate to recommend what action should be taken, adding that the CEOs of the Discos should be placed on the Exit Control List.

NEPRA inquiry report

The NEPRA has found that millions of consumers were overcharged during the months of July and August, prompting the body to initiate legal action against K-Electric (KE) and other power distribution companies.

“There is not a single Disco in the country who is charging bills in 100pc correct manner,” the power regulatory authority said in its 14-page report.

The inquiry was launched after consumers from all over the country complained of “excessive, inflated, and wrong bills” charged by Discos in July and August 2023.

Following the complaints, the power regulator held detailed hearings during which it found that the actual amount charged to users differed from the snapshot of meter-reading available on their bills. In some cases, snapshots were “either invisible or deliberately not taken”.

Similarly, some cases were reported that monthly meter readings are being taken beyond the billing cycle of 30 days, which resulted in undue/inflated charging of upper slab bills to the less user consumer(s) hence, changing the category from protected to un-protected”.

Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco), Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco), Quetta Electric Supply Company (Qesco) and Sukkur Electric Power Company (Sepco) sent the most bills with invalid snapshots.

As per the notified tariff terms and conditions, the billing period means a billing month of 30 days or less reckoned from the date of the last meter reading.

However, the above findings showed that billing cycles carried out by different DISCOs range from 30 days to 40 days and in some instances, even more.

The authority said it is “alarmingly noted” that thousands of consumers were charged for more than 40 days of billing.

The allegations have been levelled at a time when the Discos are carrying out a countrywide campaign against power theft.