Inflated electricity bills trigger huge protest

Hundreds of citizens stage protest, block main city artery

LAHORE:

Though the prime minister has announced to withdraw fuel price adjustment, electricity consumers continued their protest demonstration against an exorbitant hike in electricity bills consecutively for the fourth day in different cities.

Hundreds of citizens staged protest demonstration on Ferozepur Road and blocked the main city artery for all kinds of traffic and caused traffic jam for hours.

They were holding placards and banners on which slogans were inscribed against the power utility company and the government. They also shouted slogans against the Lahore Electricity Supply Company (LESCO) and Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif-led government for multiplying electricity tariffs and slapping over a dozen taxes on electricity consumers.

The charged protestors also burnt their electricity bills and demanded the government to direct the power utility company to immediately waive the fuel price adjustment from the current month’s bills and give refund to consumers who have already deposited their electricity bills with fuel price adjustment.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, an electricity consumer from the Chungi Amar Sidhu, Muhammad Ali, highlighted that the LESCO has sent him an electricity bill of Rs21,000 while his monthly salary is Rs25,000.

“The bill has over Rs11,000 fuel price adjustment and taxes. Either I can pay this bill or do grocery and meet other monthly expenditure,” he added.

Similar complaints and remarks were made by several other citizens who were really annoyed with the economic policies of the incumbent government.

A citizen, Safeer Ahmad, said the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) had toppled the elected government over inflation but they badly failed to control the economy.

Earlier, all PDM parties were claiming that they not only have strategy to control inflation but also had a capable team to pull out the country from economic turmoil.

Almost four months have been passed but they only increased tariffs and caused inflation.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 25^th, 2022.