Islamabad (Newsman): Information Minister, Atta Tarar, on Friday said Prime Minister, Shahbaz Sharif is going to make big announcement sometimes today to grant relief to the consumers in electricity rates.
Addressing a press conference, Mr Atta Tarar in Islamabad said the government is struggling to give relief to the consumers in power bills and a formal announcement to this effect will be made by prime minister Shahbaz Sharif, today (Friday).
Pakistanis are reeling under unbearable power bills and wailing for relief for months. During the summer season, every second household sold out their assets like animals or cars to pay hefty power bills.
Pakistan is in Independent Power Producers’ (IPPs) grip which are being doled out trillions of rupees every year in the name of capacity payments.
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In the recent past, a wave emerged from some industrialists and civil society for proper investigations into IPPs case, but in couple of months , this wave has vanished as it was never there.
However, the government felt some heat and took some half-hearted measures some two months ago to plead to IPPs whose licenses have been extended by the current ruling elite.
Pakistanis needed cut in power bills in summer season, the government secured time for IPPs to extort money from the public echequer between May-and August (Peak summer season ) and now when power use has already reduced to 20% to 25%.
Sharif government is likely to give relief to the consumers in power bills. The Sharif government ‘s any reduction in the electricity rates now will be a height of mockery to befool the masses.
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Before going for any relief in power bills in winter season, somebody should remind to the Sharif government that its time for the poor Pakistanis to brave hefty gas bills.
Pakistan’s 250 million people are literally hostage to gas and power companies.
In summer , they are left to pay hefty power bills and in winters gas utilities send unbearable bills to the masses.
Ironically, nobody is out there to check how much gas and power companies are overcharging from the consumers in Pakistan. The regulators -OGRA and NEPRA -are here to simply endorse extortions of gas and power companies.