The distribution companies of the electricity have submitted an application to the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) to recover the extra amount of 44 billion rupees from people on account of adjustments from January to March.
This hefty amount would be recovered on account of line losses, electricity theft, capacity charges, operation and maintenance from the public. The decision of recovering the amount from the pocket of the people would play havoc to the inflation hit people, who are already not able to meet the both ends due to excessive price hike and inadequate income.
In the modern era, the entire world, even the developing countries, are adopting the system of power distribution in which the consumers put the prepaid cards in their meters and the amount is deducted according to the use of electricity. But the people being at the helm of affairs are not allowing the system here because not only this favors the people but also eradicates corruption. But here in Pakistan the main problem is that they cannot continue to carry out minting money by exploitation in the proposed system.
The average raise in the price of electricity was about 225 percent in the last three years on the dictation of IMF and other donor agencies. In addition to this the subsidy on electricity was also withdrawn and new taxes were imposed on electricity many times in the recent past. Now a proposal is in the pipeline to increase the rent of electricity meters by 200 percent in the upcoming budget.
Controlling the theft of electricity and management of the line losses are the responsibility of the concerned distribution company. If these companies could not solve these problems for the last many years then why should the people pay for the corrupt practices of some dishonest officers, weak planning or the incapability of those companies? The rates of electricity are so high, that not even the common man but also people from the upper class are reluctant to pay their power bills.
Before accepting the suggestion from the power distribution companies regarding adjustment charges for first three months of the colander year, NEPRA should keep the financial plight of common man and the current economic crises in mind
The inflation in the country is at its pinnacle point in the history of Pakistan. The unemployment is increasing day by day as there is not any economic activity prevailing in the country due to political turmoil.
It is the need of the hour that instead of throwing all the debris of incompetence of the power distribution companies on the nation, not only the system of distribution should be upgraded but also move towards the cheap as well as renewable energy sources.
If the rates of electricity would be increased, then the upper class of the society, which is not more than five percent would move towards installing solar panels on their roofs but the 95 percent of common man would come out on the streets as the cannot afford even a raise of little amount in their electricity bills at this juncture when the country is passing through dreadful economic crises.