Save Our Pak
Islamabad: In a recent meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Energy, a demand was made to include the issue of electricity bills for 200 and 201 units in the agenda. The main question raised was: why is the bill Rs. 5,000 for 200 units, but jumps to Rs. 15,000 when just one extra unit is used, as Reported By Save Our Pak News Channel on Tuesday.
The meeting was led by Muhammad Idrees. During the session, several members of the National Assembly expressed concern over expensive electricity and rising bills.
Committee member Rana Sikandar Hayat asked, “What should we tell the people? When will electricity become cheaper?” He also said that many housing societies and katchi abadis don’t even have electricity connections. Some societies have been there for 50 years, but still have no power. In these areas, electricity theft is common, with one legal meter being used along with 10 illegal wires.
Power Minister Awais Leghari replied that connections in housing areas are only provided when the local authority officially asks for them. He said that without a request, the power division cannot take action on its own.
He added, “Giving connections is easy for me. When electricity usage increases, rates will go down. Right now, the rates are high because usage is low. Electricity theft is not Rs. 500 billion — it is around Rs. 250 billion per year.”
MNA Malik Anwar Taj highlighted that people are talking about the strange difference between 200 and 201 units. He demanded that the agenda must include this issue — why does the bill increase so much because of just one extra unit?
Rana Sikandar Hayat also pointed out that people using up to 200 units fall under the lifeline category and get a Rs. 5,000 bill. But when the usage goes to 201 units, the bill shoots up to Rs. 15,000. He asked, “Why does one extra unit make someone non-protected for the next six months? At least keep them unprotected for just that one month.”
Minister Awais Leghari responded that users consuming up to 200 units are getting 80% discount. He assured the committee that more relief measures for electricity consumers are on the way.
