NEPRA takes notice of power consumers being billed for more than 31 days
NEPRA has asked customers to file complaints regarding overbilling so that they can probe the matter
September 08, 2021
- NEPRA seeks electricity consumers’ complaints regarding the overbilling.
- Consumers can submit their complaints at NEPRA’s regional or central offices, or through email.
- Geo.tv discovered that a large number of households likely paid higher bills due to billing malpractices by Pakistani power companies.
ISLAMABAD: National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Wednesday took notice of electricity consumers being billed for more than 31 days in a single month by Distribution Companies (DISCOs), following an investigation by Geo.tv last month.
NEPRA has asked customers to file complaints regarding overbilling so they can dissect the matter.
“Consumers can submit their complaints at NEPRA’s regional or central offices so that the issue can be further looked into,” said NEPRA in a statement issued Wednesday.
It said that the affected consumers can also lodge a complaint through e-mail.
According to the statement, no complaints have been received so far regarding customers being billed in violation of the NEPRA-approved billing period.
It once more urged customers to file their complaints so that a probe can be undertaken and justice provided.
According to bills reviewed by Geo.tv, Karachi’s K-Electric (KE), Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO), Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO), Multan Electric Power Company (MEPCO), Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO) and the Sukkur Electric Power Company (SEPCO) have billed their customers for more than the allowed 31 days in one month on more than one occasion since January 2021.
Some of these companies went as far as to issue bills for 35 and 37 days of electricity usage to their customers in a single month, the investigation found.
This is a gross violation of a key condition set by NEPRA in its agreement with each of these power distribution companies, which states that all tariffs for the residential customers are applicable only on a maximum billing period of 31 days.
