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ISLAMABAD: The Nationwide Electrical Energy Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has discovered that hundreds of thousands of customers had been overcharged through the months of July and August, prompting the physique to provoke authorized motion towards Ok-Electrical (KE) and different power-providing firms, Geo Information reported Monday.
“Authorized proceedings towards all Distribution Firms together with KEL beneath NEPRA Wonderful Rules, 2021 for violation of the provisions of NEPRA Act, CSM and tariff phrases & situations and so on,” a press release issued by the ability regulator stated.
The highest authority took “very severe” discover of the complaints that had been reported from throughout Pakistan relating to extreme, inflated, and mistaken payments charged by the distribution firms to the customers throughout two months — July and August.
Following the complaints, the ability regulator held detailed hearings throughout which it discovered that snaps of “meter readings are both invisible or intentionally not taken. Equally, some instances had been reported that month-to-month meter readings are being taken past the billing cycle of 30 days, which resulted in undue/inflated charging of higher slab payments to the much less consumer shopper(s) therefore, altering the class from protected to un-protected”.
The authority additionally came upon that quite a few distribution firms had been charging meter readings, whereby, snaps “readings differ from the readings recorded on the customers’ payments”.
The authority then constituted a committee to probe into the matter of extreme billing points.
The committee discovered that 5.7 million Multan Electrical Energy Firm (Mepco) customers had been charged for greater than 30 days of the billing cycle within the month of July adopted by Gujranwala Electrical Energy Firm (Gepco) i.e., round 1.2 million in August.
Equally, Faisalabad Electrical Provide Firm (Fesco) i.e., greater than 800,000 in August, Lahore Electrical Provide Firm (Lesco) round 700,000 in each months, and Hyderabad Electrical Provide Firm (Hesco) greater than 500,000 within the month of July.
This resulted within the change of slab from decrease to greater, change of standing from protected to un-protected, and alter of standing from life-line to non-life line for 1000’s of customers.
“It’s additional famous with grave concern that through the months of July and […] August, 1000’s of customers had been served electrical energy payments having invalid snaps, through which MEPCO, LESCO, QESCO, and SEPCO are main contributors,” the assertion talked about.
As per the notified tariff phrases and situations, the billing interval means a billing month of 30 days or much less reckoned from the date of the final meter studying.
Nonetheless, the above findings confirmed that billing cycles carried out by totally different DISCOs vary from 30 days to 40 days and in some cases, much more.
The authority stated it’s “alarmingly famous” that 1000’s of customers had been charged for greater than 40 days of billing.
This was the key explanation for overbilling throughout July and August. On this regard, MEPCO adopted by GEPCO, FESCO, LESCO, and HESCO, are the DISCOs who’ve closely accomplished such overbilling. General, all DISCOs are accountable for such an unjustified train, it stated.
In accordance with legal guidelines, the faulty meters are required to get replaced instantly nevertheless, in case of non-availability the meters are required to get replaced inside two billing cycles.
It’s evident from the findings, the assertion stated, that as a result of non-replacement of faulty meters, 1000’s of customers had been charged on a median foundation for greater than (2) months — and even in numerous instances one (1) yr to a few (3) years and even above three (03) years.
“The respective DISCOs didn’t hassle to exchange the faulty meters even after three years,” the assertion talked about.
“Foregoing in view, it’s concluded that distribution firms are charging extreme payments/detection payments to the customers by adopting unlawful & illegal practices, subsequently, prima facie, are in violation of NEPRA Act, Shopper Service Guide, Phrases & Circumstances of Tariff and different relevant paperwork, and so on.”
Nepra additionally directed Discos to provoke proceedings towards officers involved for violation of provisions of the Shopper Service Guide and different relevant paperwork as per their service guidelines on account of finishing up such unlawful practices and submit a compliance report inside 30 days.
