Secretary Power Division of Pakistan Bound to Answer 10 Questions Instead Justifying the Cruel Electricity Bills – by – Tazeen Akhtar

Tazeen Akhtar

When half of Pakistan is at the Mutiny Mode against highly unjustified electricity bills that resulted in suicides in families and individuals in some parts of country, the officials of electricity division of the government of Pakistan are still insisting upon what they themselves term as rational and justified. This is the attitude that the white collar always shows to the miseries of the public as if nothing wrong is being done at the government level. This is the state of denial that has widened the gap between state and the citizen.

Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi along with Federal Secretary of the Power Division Rashid Mahmood Langrial held a media briefing on 26 Aug 2023 to explain the current state of electricity tariffs. It was a meeting with only selected anchorpersons and journalists only to promote the innocence of the government officials at their media to lower down the anger of the public. There was nothing in this meeting about to address the real issue but all their emphasis was on  to justify their exaggerated bills only.

According to the Secretary of the Power Division ;

1-National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) determined electricity tariffs using three distinct methodologies. The three-month tariff adjustment was meant for new power plants, electricity prices were subject to fluctuations based on the Consumer Price Index.

2-Necessity of tariff alterations due to the upsurge in The Karachi Interbank Offered Rate (KIBOR). .In the fiscal year 2023, the tariff was initially set at Rs 195 per dollar, but the value of the dollar surged to Rs284.Price of RNLG was initially aimed to set at Rs 3,183 per MMBTU, however, the actual price ranged between Rs 3,000 and Rs 3,800.

3-Fuel price adjustments also impacted electricity costs.Price range for imported coal fell between Rs 51,000 and Rs 61,000 per metric ton.Staggering Rs 2 trillion would be exclusively allocated to capacity payments in the upcoming year.

4-The increase in electricity tariffs predominantly affected consumers utilizing more than 400 units.The tariff remained unchanged for 63.5 per cent of domestic consumers.For 31.6 per cent of domestic consumers, electricity prices saw an uptick of up to Rs 6.5 per unit. Notably, a tariff of Rs 7.5 per unit was only applied to 4.9 per cent of domestic consumers.

5-The average tariff increase for domestic consumers stood at Rs 3.82.In July 2022, the highest recorded electricity tariff was Rs 31.02 per unit. By August2023, the price had increased to only Rs 33.89 per unit.

The Secretary or the Chairman NEPRA or any officials of this division can only bring lame excuses and not what is the disturbing for the public. State authorities have their own mindsets. Easy Revenue is the policy of the governments in third world countries. Matter of fact and justice is the top official of the power division has not spoke a single word on ;

1- Other than all your above mentioned rough reasoning, can you tell what is the justification of charging PTV fee on Electricity Bills? Can you give figures how many consumers of electricity watch PTV? NO – and you know very well that PTV is rarely watched here. That is why you invite private TV channels anchorpersons to feed them your point of views.

2- Further you are planning to impose Radio fee as well on Electricity Bills. Again the same question, how many electricity consumers listen or keep Radio ?

3- The boss of this highly wrongly charging bills division has not justified more than 10 taxes on the bills. Why so much taxes on bills when you are already increasing the price every second month, directly as well as in the name of so called fuel adjustments.

4- The secretary is giving the percentage of the consumers as to how much are paying one rate and how much are being charged for another rate. This is the strangest state of affairs here only in Pakistan. In whole world there are only two rates A-Commercial B-Non Commercial. But here variety of rates is imposed on their own logic.

Slabs mainly. If you spend 200 unit the rate is less and if you cross 201 the rate suddenly increases altogether on all unites. Wholesale is charged less in the whole world but here the rate is increased if one buys more and bulk.

SWhat is the justification of fuel adjustments? It means the shop keeper can charge the customer more for what he has bought two months ago and payed for that then?

5- The secretary should also fetch the figures how much are the line losses and theft in the country. He should share this as well, the charges of the losses and thefts are also adjusted in the bills of consumers who regularly pay the bills even if they are over charged only to keep their connection secure from your wicked staff.

6- The secretary should also fetch the pending bills of gov departments from IESCO the nearest to him, and see billions of rupees bills are pending. What does it mean by the way? This is other than the free unites for the staff and officers of your own ministry. Millions of units are free for you and your officers. Why? you do not receive salary?

189 thousand DISCOs staff utilized free electricity of 8 Billion 190 Million Rupees in 2022. Theft of electricity in only 15 months of PDM Gov is worth 500 Billion Rupees. 743 staff and officers faced accountability on corruption charges. These figures have been shared by Senator of Pakistan Mr. Mushtaq Ahmad Khan. The Secretary is supposed and bound to answer it if it is wrong. He is silent only because the figures are correct.

7-The honorable Secretary Sahib Bahadur confirmed that the facility of free electricity units to DISCO officers would be discontinued, emphasizing that the burden was not being transferred to regular bill-paying individuals. The consumer does not believe him in this regard. He is wrong in claiming that the burden is not shifted to consumers. He should have shared also if not consumers then how you manage it? Elaborate

8-You threaten the consumer ” Your connection can be cut without any notice “. This warning is not given on Second or Third or Fourth non payment. The consumer is cursed even if he/she can not pay the one month bill. State is the mother or State is Step Mother by the way Mr. Secretary?

9- You gathered the anchorpersons for your justification, you have inquired the suicides and deaths in the country reported due to the hefty electricity bills? It is not your duty? Have you uttered a single word on these deaths suicides? No? Why?

10- What your power division has done in previous decades, What is the development on CASA-1000 project? Why you failed to import cheap fuel gas and electricity of TAP so far? Why you are unable to bring cheap petrol and gas and electricity from border of Iran? Speak the truth to the public. You are Public Servant.

Minister Solangi acknowledged the difficulties faced by the people due to the escalating electricity prices. It means the public of Pakistan is not satisfied with what the Secretary is trying his utmost to justify the cruel policies of his division.

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has called a high-level meeting on Sunday 27 Aug 2023 to address concerns related to electricity pricing.All stakeholders within the power sector would participate in the meeting but the consumer is not attaching any hope to this meeting. The caretakers are nominated people. They have no contact with the public. They do not feel them answerable to the people of Pakistan. When they are questioned that the people of Pakistan are leaving the country due to the circumstances here, they respond

” Ok, Let them Leave”.