Cost of electricity: PPP moves NA against new power charges

Says 70 paisa additional charges will further overburden power consumers

ISLAMABAD: The main opposition group, the Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP), has moved an adjournment motion in the National Assembly against the government’s decision to impose additional charges of 70 paisa per unit on power consumers of Punjab and Sindh.

Signed by Naveed Qamar, Shazia Marri, Dr Nafisa Shah, Imran Zafar Laghari, Ghulam Mustafa and Aijaz Jakhrani, the motion says these additional charges will further burden consumers who are by now paying hefty sums in their electricity bills under various surcharges imposed by the government.

The federal government has recently decided to charge 70 paisa additional charges from consumers of these two provinces for the next 25 years.

“It is heartrending that instead of providing the promised relief, the present government is creating more difficulties for the masses by imposing various surcharges, sending inflated bills, not providing budgetary subsidy to farmers and failing to control transmission and line losses,” the motion says.

The PPP lawmakers have also asked the speaker’s office to bring this issue on agenda for a detailed discussion in the next session.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2016.