Against excessive billing: NA passes bill for ‘empowering’ NEPRA

Privatisation minister assures house outstanding dues of PSM employees till Feb 2018 will be paid

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Thursday passed an all-important legislation ‘The Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power (Amendment) Bill 2018 with a majority of votes for addressing consumers’ issues related to over or excessive billing by power distribution companies.

The bill was moved by State Minister for Power Abid Sher Ali for amending The Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power Act, 1997, with NA Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi in the chair.

The Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power (Amendment) Bill, 2018 had already been passed by the Senate. After getting it signed by the president of Pakistan, it would become an act.

The bill had 51 clauses and the only amendment was moved by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA Sajid Nawaz from the opposition which was rejected by the house on a headcount as only 29 lawmakers supported the amendment while 47 voted against it.



The bill empowers National Electric Power Regulatory Authority to address the issue of excessive billing in the country by awarding punishment of three years imprisonment to officials of the power distribution companies if found involved in over billing or wrong billing.

PTI’s Nawaz had adopted a strange way of protesting in the National Assembly against ‘fake and unfair’ electricity bills in his constituency by wearing a garland of electricity bills while moving his amendment in ‘The Regulation of Generation, Transmission and Distribution of Electric Power (Amendment) Bill 2018’.

His amendment was aimed at awarding amnesty scheme/relaxation as and when required to waive off disputed outstanding dues of electricity for domestic/household consumers of a particular area.

However, his amendment was rejected as 47 lawmakers of treasury benches voted against it only 29 votes were given in favour of it.

Nawaz said that he was wearing bills worth Rs20 million, adding that all the bills were the ones on which power consumers had been charged despite the fact that they had no electricity meters.

In response, Abid Sher Ali said that he was not convinced by “this drama”.

He said people were used to getting electricity without paying bills, which was not acceptable.

“This country is not meant for persons who have developed a habit of enjoying free meals,” he stated on the floor of the House.

His remarks created a ruckus in the house as all PTI lawmakers stood up from their seats and protested against his remarks.

Deputy Speaker Abbasi had to state “order in the house” on multiple occasions to calm down the charged lawmakers.

Further, the house was informed that the electricity demand and supply gap had been bridged.

Minister Abid Sher Ali informed the house during question hour that the PML-N government had taken power generation up to 19,200 megawatts (MW) last year, which was 13,500MW in 2013.

He said, “Power generation will likely touch about 24,000MW in summer this year.”



He said that revenue-based load shedding was being observed across Pakistan and no discrimination was made on the basis of province or company.

The power minister said that distribution lines were also being upgraded across Pakistan while 100 per cent mobile meter reading was being ensured in various distributing companies to avoid overbilling.

Meanwhile, the lawmakers of MQM, PTI and PPPP staged a token walkout from the house in protest against non-payment of salaries and other dues to the employees of Pakistan Steel Mills.

Minister for Privatisation Daniyal Aziz assured the house that salaries of the Pakistan Steel’s employees till February would be paid for which the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) had already approved a summary.

He said, “Currently audit is being done for the increment in salaries of the employees.”

The house was adjourned to meet again on Friday (today) at 10:30am.