From Zeeshan Mirza
KARACHI: Following the announcement of the relief package by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir Khan on Wednesday explained that only the households that consume electricity up to 200 units will be exempt from fuel charges adjustment (FCA).
Addressing a press conference in Karachi, the power minister revealed that 17 million people are being provided relief amounting to Rs22 billion on account of the FCA.
A day earlier, PM Shehbaz announced that 17 million of the total power consumers will be exempt from paying the high FCA in their electricity bills.
In a video address from Qatar, where he is on a two-day trip, the prime minister had said that after consulting with the International Monetary Fund, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and other coalition leaders, it was decided that 17.1 million electricity consumers would not have to pay the FCA for the month of July and August.
The power minister said that work is underway to restructure the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA). “The authority’s main task is to determine the tariff, which is facing delays,” he said, adding that if the tariffs are announced timely consumers will not pay the surcharge amount.
“Additional amounts paid by the power consumers on account of June’s FCA was because of “Azaab-e-Imrani (the calamity of Imran)”, he said, terming PTI chief Imran Khan’s claims regarding excessive power capacity as “incorrect”.
The power minister said that the coalition government is trying its best to provide cheap electricity to the inflation-weary consumers.
Shedding light on future plans, Dastgir said that the coalition government aims to complete the projects of Thar coal, including the power generation project which is in collaboration with Shanghai Electric.
Monday, PM had took notice of exorbitant electricity bills being received by consumers all over Pakistan.
In response to multiple complaints made by residential and commercial power consumers, the Prime Minister had directed the authorities to prepare a detailed report and clearly mention all charges and levies that are being added.
The meeting was attended by Federal Minister of Power Khurram Dastgir and other high ranking officials of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
“The public will be given its due right and no charges will be kept hidden from the people,” said the PM.
On August 18, the Sindh High Court (SHC) sought a response from the federal government and K-Electric in a case related to the collection of general sales tax (GST) on electricity bills.
President Anjuman-e-Tajjran Karachi Javed Shams filed a plea with the SHC against collecting GST via electricity bills.
