PPP Senator Mian Raza Rabbani strongly criticized the malpractices of Pakistan’s power distribution companies (Discos) on Tuesday, labeling them as criminal activities that warrant immediate action.
This condemnation followed a scathing indictment accusing Discos of overcharging customers by as much as 100%, revealed in a comprehensive inquiry by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra).
According to Nepra’s 14-page report, every Disco in the country was found to be overcharging consumers. Rabbani emphasized the severity of the situation, stating that the report exposed a major scam where power firms were issuing inflated bills, calling into question the integrity of Discos’ entire revenue stream.
The inquiry also uncovered discrepancies in meter readings on bills, with snapshots sometimes deliberately omitted. Rabbani deemed these findings as criminal activities, urging legal action against the Discos. He demanded that the overcharged amounts be adjusted against users’ bills and called for the Nepra report to be presented to the Senate for recommendations.
In response, K-Electric asserted its engagement with Nepra, highlighting its use of handheld devices for transparent meter reading. The company claimed compliance with Nepra’s guidelines and emphasized that no customers were wrongly billed due to meter reading errors.
The Nepra inquiry revealed startling revelations, including billing beyond the mandated 30-day period, resulting in erroneous charges for protected consumers. Over 13 million consumers were billed based on readings of more than 30 days, leading to higher slab rates.
The report implicated various Discos for overbilling millions of consumers, and it recommended legal action against all Discos for violating regulations. The regulator called for a revision of inflated bills and compliance within one billing cycle.
