Senate panel moves to ease unrest over inflated bills

The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat has recommended the power sector regulator to remove taxes from the electricity bills of up to 400 units, terming the unrest over inflated power bills across the country a national crisis.

The standing committee meeting, presided over by its Chairman Rana Maqbool Ahmad, took serious notice of the hike in electricity prices, noting that a number of suicide cases linked to excessive billing had been reported from different areas.

The meeting was attended by senators Kamil Ali Agha, Saifullah Sarwar Khan Nyazee, Khalida Ateeb, Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, Engineer Rukhsana Zuberi, Danesh Kumar, Gurdeep Singh, Naseebullah Bazai, Mohammad Akram, Saadia Abbasi and Syed Waqar Mehdi.

Senator Mushtaq said that people were going towards civil rebellion and that the government did not understand the public anxiety as the caretaker prime minister's statements were like rubbing salt on people's wounds.

Committee Chairman Ahmad, who belongs to the PML-N, stated that a proposal had been forwarded to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) to withdraw all taxes on electricity bills for the underprivileged class.

The committee then decided to receive a briefing from Nepra Chairman Waseem Mukhtar on the pricing mechanism.

Ahmad said, “We have to adopt a proactive approach, and the committee should know the details about the owners of the independent power producers.”

Senator Agha said that as this was a national issue, and the people of Pakistan were suffering due to soaring inflation, relief should be given to the masses at this stage.

The Power Division officials briefed the committee that a total of 164 fatalities occurred in various power distribution companies (Discos) due to accidents in the fiscal year 2022-23, along with 106 non-fatal injuries.

The committee sought details on the cases of casualties and injuries caused by electrocution and substandard domestic electrical wiring in various Discos, and measures adopted to avoid such incidents in the future.

It deplored that scores of cases were pending in the tribunal, and compensations had not been paid to the affectees.

It also expressed reservations about the delay in proposing amendments to the Pakistan Penal Code 1860, regarding enhancement of punishment for violations related to gas theft and other illegal acts.

Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority Chairman Masroor Khan apprised the committee that the interior ministry was not cooperating on the matter.

The committee directed the interior ministry to avoid deliberate delay over the issue.