ISLAMABAD : August ,23,2023: Amidst violent protests across Pakistan over inflated electricity bills, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Wednesday passed on another huge financial burden of Rs 470 billion on to the end consumers by granting approval for an increase of Rs 5.40 per unit increase in power rates for the current quarter.
The power distribution companies had submitted their petitions with NEPRA to grant them an increase of Rs 5.40 per unit in the power rates against quarterly fuel adjustment. NEPRA conducted hearing of the petitions on August 23 and later on the same evening granted approval as per distribution companies ‘s request to charge Rs 5.40 per unit from the consumers for the current quarter .
After NEPRA ‘s approval , the consumers will bear another burden of Rs 470 billion in the current quarter (September to November ) when they are already moaning under inflated electricity bills. In their petitions, the power distribution companies had claimed that they were facing shortfall in their revenue and expense of Rs 470 billion for the current quarter and they should be granted approval to charge extra money from the consumers against fuel adjustment for the current quarter.
The consumers are already paying multiple taxes and over and above to these taxes they are made to pay additional money for fuel adjustment on monthly basis. The fuel adjustment is like an unseen curse for the consumers. NEPRA allows monthly fuel adjustment to the power distribution companies and then the same fuel adjustment turns back for the consumers in the shape of quarterly adjustment like one NEPRA granted on Wednesday.
NEPRA ‘s approval for the increase in the electricity bills of Rs 5.40 per unit has come at a time when the consumers are already having violent protests in different parts of the country over inflated power bills delivered to them for July.