Islamabad : One unit more and a six-month penalty in the bill? Yes, in the current electricity system, if a consumer uses 201 units of electricity instead of 200, then he is excluded from the ‘protected’ category for the next six months and pays an additional monthly bill of Rs 5,000.
This was revealed by sources in the Ministry of Energy. It has been reported that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has also received complaints from consumers that the system is “unfair”.
The government has decided to form a high-level committee on the issue to suggest whether the protected slab can be increased from 200 to 300 units or an alternative system should be introduced.
Another proposal is that the 201-unit limit should be applicable only for this month and the consumer can come back into the protected category the following month — so that there is no penalty associated with each unit.
Nepra and the Ministry of Power are also being criticized for implementing this slab “deliberately” to increase bills.
This proposal is being hailed as a ray of hope in public circles, and it is being said that if the government really makes this change, this step will be a big relief for the people suffering from inflation.
