Unidentified men storm KE office during protest in Surjani Town

KARACHI: A group of unidentified men stormed the K-Electric (KE) office in IBC Surjani Town when a protest was going on outside the building against the prolonged loadshedding and inflated electricity bills, ARY News reported on Monday.

A protest was staged outside the KE office in Karachi’s IBC Surjani Town for three hours. Later, a group of unidentified men stormed the KE office and started vandalising the assets and torched it.

Following the blaze, additional contingents of police force reached the KE office and brought out the staffers and consumers trapped inside the building. Smoke inside the building worsened the condition of several persons who were trapped inside the office.

The KE management decided to take legal action against those who have attacked its offices and lodged cases against them.

READ: ELECTRICITY BILLS: GOVT FINDS NEW WAY TO SNATCH RELIEF FROM POWER CONSUMERS

The KE spokesperson condemned the attacks on the K-Electric offices in the name of protests.

The spokesperson added that the power providing companies were bound to follow the government and regulator’s orders regarding the prices of the electricity units. After the federal government’s announcement, K-Electric was using all resources to provide FCA relief to its consumers.

The timing of the customer care offices were also extended for facilitating the consumers. The offices will also remain opened on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Revised bills

The press release reads, “Following the notification released by the Ministry of Energy, Government of Pakistan (GoP) about the modification of the June Fuel Charges Adjustment (FCA), K-Electric will facilitate those Non Time-of-Use (Non-ToU) residential consumers, with revised electricity bills for the month of August who have electricity consumption of equal to or less than 200 units.”

“The revised bills will be available from 26 August onwards and can be collected from KE’s operational customer centers across the city. Agricultural customers in KE territory are also eligible under the Government’s FCA relief.”

Per the notification issued by the Ministry of Energy (Power Division), Government of Pakistan on 25 August, “XWDISCOs and K-Electric are directed to implement the following with immediate effect:

• Non-ToU Domestic (Protected) consumers having ≤ 200 units consumption would only pay Rs. 3.8972/Unit in August 2022 billing month.
• Non-ToU Domestic (Non-Protected) consumers having ≤ 200 units consumption and Private Agriculture consumers shall not pay any FCA in August 2022 billing month.”

The relief and due date extension is only for those Non-ToU residential consumers who have a power consumption equal to or less than 200 units.

All the remaining electricity consumers, such as ToU consumers, Non-ToU residential consumers having beyond 200 units of consumption as well as all commercial, and industrial consumers, are requested to continue paying their bills as per routine, it concluded.