Consumers protest overbilling in Multan

The protesters accused Mepco of adding extra units in the bill.

MULTAN: A large number of people staged a protest demonstration against overbilling by Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) on Thursday. The protest was held in front of Mepco office at Khanewal Road, Multan.

Traders, shopkeepers and residents of Shahrukn-e-Alam and other areas shouted slogans against the Mepco officials and set ablaze the electricity bills for the month of May. They demanded that Mepco should rectify the bills before the due date. The protesters also accused Mepco of adding extra units in the bill.



While speaking to The Express Tribune, Murtaza Haider, a resident of Khushhal Colony, said, “The official metre reading date on the bill is from May 22 to May 25 but the picture of metre reading displayed on the bill is till June 4.”  He said that Mepco would charge them 100 to 150 extra units for the current month.

Similarly, Muhammad Akram, a resident of Shahrukn-e-Alam, said over two million customers were affected every year in May and September all over the region. He said, “Poor people cannot afford the actual bill, while due to addition of extra units, customers would have to pay an extra sum of Rs2,000 to Rs5,000.”

Muhammad Waqar, a resident of New Multan, said Mepco was using this tactic to overcome their losses and electricity theft. “Every year, poor masses have to bear the brunt of Mepco’s mismanagement and inefficiency,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2017.