Inflated gas bills

LAHORE: Despite low pressure or no gas at all, consumers are being sent highly inflated gas bills in the urban and rural areas.

Furthermore, the electricity and gas transmission and distribution companies themselves are to be squarely blamed for faulty and defective electricity and gas distribution and transmission systems. There is extra-ordinary pressure on the power supply during the summer months and on gas consumption in the winters. Why don’t they start rehabilitation and renovation works to remove defects and set things right when there is no pressure during the off season.

This is true to the consumer’s apprehensions that electricity and gas companies send inflated bills for at least three to six months all around the year.

For instance, a domestic gas consumer in Johar Town, Lahore received a gas bill for December 2019 amounting to about Rs22 thousand. It is without a doubt that gas consumption was doubled as compared to the previous month of November due to the severe cold weather but the bill received is four times higher.

At the start of winter season, a friend of mine received a bill for Rs1800 in September 2019, which was doubled to Rs3600 in October and then to Rs7200 in November. If he had used more natural gas during December, the bills should not have been more than in the range of Rs12000 to Rs14000 rather than four times higher than the previous month. There should be some equation in the consumption of gas and the bills so that the common man understands how calculations are done. If the gas consumed was double then the bill should also be double and not as high as four times. The citizens should collectively stand up against this. It is also important for them to be aware of how normal household utility bills are calculated in order to prevent such things from happening in the future.

M Z Rifat

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th, 2020.

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