Sukkur electricity consumers blast SEPCO on overbilling

SUKKUR: Electricity consumers in Sukkur have strongly criticized the Sukkur Electric Power Company (SEPCO) over alleged overbilling and illegal deductions, ARY News reported on Friday.

The backlash came during an open court (Khuli Kachehri) organized by SEPCO at its regional office in Sukkur, where a large number of citizens gathered to voice their grievances.

Attendees expressed anger over what they described as unjustified and unaffordable electricity bills. An elderly citizen said, “Honest consumers are being forced to pay for electricity theft committed by others.”

Another frustrated consumer questioned how families could survive under the burden of inflated bills. “How can I pay a bill of Rs20,000? Should I pay the bill or feed my children?” he asked.

Several participants accused SEPCO of making arbitrary deductions and issuing inflated bills amounting to thousands of rupees that many low-income households say are simply unbearable.

Citizens demanded transparency in billing, accountability within the company, and immediate relief for honest consumers struggling to keep up with rising electricity costs.

Read More: NEPRA reveals overbilling of billions by DISCOs to power consumers

An earlier report by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has revealed that electricity consumers have been burdened with billions of rupees in detection bills by power companies.

According to the report, between April and June 2024, power companies sent detection bills amounting to over Rs35bln to more than 1.3mln power consumers.

The details shared by NEPRA showed Sukkur Electric Supply Company (SEPCO) sent detection bills worth over Rs13 billion, HESCO issued bills totaling Rs7.6 billion, LESCO sent bills amounting to 3.7 billion rupees.