ISLAMABAD — The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat has called the uproar over inflated power bills across the country a national crisis and has urged that the power sector regulator remove levies from energy bills of up to 400 units.
The increase in electricity rates was discussed at length during the meeting presided over by the standing committee’s chairman, Rana Maqbool Ahmad, who noted that several suicides had been reported in connection with high electrical bills.
Senators Danesh Kumar, Gurdeep Singh, Naseebullah Bazai, Mohammad Akram, Saadia Abbasi, and Syed Waqar Mehdi were present, as well as Senators Khalida Ateeb, Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, Engineer Rukhsana Zuberi, and Saifullah Sarwar Khan Nyazee.
According to Senator Mushtaq, the caretaker prime minister’s comments have only served to increase public tension, leading many to believe that a civil uprising is imminent.
The PML-N’s Ahmad, the committee’s head, said that the party had submitted a request to Nepra to have all taxes removed from low-income customers’ power bills.
The group afterwards opted to hear Nepra’s Chairman Waseem Mukhtar brief them on the pricing system.
The committee needs to be informed of the identities of the people who own the independent power producers, as Ahmad put it.
Senator Agha said that the people of Pakistan, who are struggling under the weight of skyrocketing inflation, deserved help now, since this was a national matter.
The Power Division informed the committee that 164 people lost their lives and another 106 were injured in accidents at different power distribution businesses (Discos) during fiscal year 2022-2023.
The committee requested information regarding the number of deaths and injuries caused by electrocution and unsafe home electrical wiring in each Disco, as well as any preventative steps taken.
It expressed disappointment that the tribunal still had a backlog of cases and had not yet compensated the affected parties.
Concerns were also raised about the slow pace of proposed changes to the Pakistan Penal Code 1860 to increase penalties for petrol theft and other crimes.
Masroor Khan, head of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority, informed the committee that the Interior Ministry was not helping with the investigation.
The committee told the ministry of the interior not to drag its feet on the subject on purpose.
