QUETTA/ISLAMABAD/LAHORE — On Thursday, the Ministry of Water Affairs argued against removing free electricity units given to power company employees, saying that doing so would not result in any cost savings.
Consumers around the country had been protesting high electricity prices and calling for an end to the practice of giving free electricity to government workers in the power industry when this news broke.
The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) and the Ministry of Energy have both spoken out against doing away with the free units.
The Finance Ministry, on the other hand, has recommended doing away with the free unit facility for electricity company personnel.
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According to reports, the interim government has presented a plan to the IMF in an effort to help electrical customers.
They also said that if the IMF gave its blessing, a two-month agreement might be struck to help individuals who use 400 kilowatt hours of electricity every month.
According to the same sources, a plan to gradually reverse the Rs7 rise in the basic rate was being examined, and the finance ministry would provide a formal guarantee that the bills for August and September could be recovered in installments.
The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), so the rumor goes, recommended raising the employees’ utility allowance in order to phase out the free-unit facility.
The idea of compensating workers in cash rather than free units was also discussed.
The Power Division suggested including a sum in each worker’s monthly salary that would be equal to free units. The Power Division reportedly made its case at the federal cabinet meeting.
According to the information gathered, free electricity units are being distributed to 189,171 current and former employees.
They also mentioned that the 34.758 million monthly free electricity units were going to both retired and active personnel.
Relatedly, workers at the Quetta Electric Supply Company (Qesco) protested the company’s decision to stop providing them with free electricity.
Details suggest that in the provincial capital of Balochistan, Qesco workers rallied after staging a protest outside their chief’s office.
Protesters had signs and banners with their demands written on them.
Workers pleaded with the government to reconsider its plan to cut off their free power units, saying they needed help getting by in this time of high inflation.
Protests in favor of providing free power units were held in Lahore by the Pakistan Wapda Employees Union. The union head threatened strong action if workers’ access to free electricity units were cut off.
The demonstrators demanded that the categorization of electricity bills, political involvement, and the high levies included in the bills be eliminated immediately.