Federal Minister for Energy Awais Leghari stated that authorities are moving to stop charging higher rates for six months when power usage goes over 200 units by just one unit. He mentioned that the 200-unit limit might also increase to 250 units.

Leghari spoke in the Senate while answering a calling attention notice from Abid Sher Ali regarding the weight of distribution company tariffs. Sher Ali informed the chamber that a household moving from 200 to 201 units experiences a tariff jump from Rs15 to Rs30 per unit, followed by billing at the 400-unit slab rate for half a year.

The minister noted that the count of users consuming under 200 units totals 20 million. He explained that giving a discount to all of them is wrong because the category contains solar users whose grid usage drops due to their panels, adding that impoverished citizens will receive the advantage of the discount.

Detection Bill Reforms

Leghari previously declared a total prohibition on handing out manual detection bills during a session with the boards of power distribution companies. He stated that field staff and SDOs are barred from issuing them, and violations will count as serious misconduct drawing harsh penalties.

All detection billing now runs through a central online portal that is compulsory for every DISCO. The session additionally ruled the following:

  • Faulty or burnt meters must be replaced within a maximum of two billing cycles (two months).
  • Average billing for a faulty meter will be limited to two months.
  • Recovery for slow or fast meters will be limited to the previous two billing cycles.
  • Detection bills for illegal use will cover three months for ordinary consumers.
  • For registered consumers, detection bills will be capped at six months, and for unregistered consumers at 12 months.

Leghari reported that changes to the Consumer Service Manual will be put forward soon. DISCO boards and committees will check the correctness of detection bills every month.

He declared that stopping electricity theft stays the main goal of the government, though users will not face random burdens.