THE Government has expressed its inability to provide immediate and significant relief to the power consumers who are burning their bills and holding demonstrations in different parts of the country to protest against inflated bills they have received for August. All eyes were set on the meeting of the Federal Cabinet but its helplessness can be gauged by the fact that it could not release even a formal statement as to what exactly transpired on an issue that has become a question of economic life and death, at least, for the poorest segments of the society. Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi, while speaking in a television programme, said some measures were discussed to provide relief to the consumers but an IMF nod is needed for the purpose.
Media reports suggest there would be no concrete relief for the agitating people as the Cabinet was informed that withdrawal or any cut in any of the taxes being levied on the bills was out of question because of its impact on the overall revenue collection and the issue of circular debt. And contrary to what the Information Minister had claimed a day earlier that the government would give a “relief in a real manner” and not just breaking up bills in monthly instalments to ease the burden of consumers, the only relief that is being considered is to stagger the payment of inflated bills over several months and that too for those who consumed up to 400 units. Instalments are no answer as the real question is capacity of the people to pay the inflated bills, which remains strained due to record inflation caused by a multitude of problems. Fridge, fans, iron and motor are among the necessities of life and an average family availing these facilities is getting bills in the range of Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000. People of Pakistan are being forced to pay Rs 52 for a unit as against between Rs 10 and 20 by other countries of the region and if there is still the issue of rising circular debt then the problem lies not with the pricing but somewhere else. It is also a matter of serious concern that the Government is showing no commitment either to show zero tolerance for electricity theft or withdraw the facility of free electricity for those who can definitely pay their bills from their own pockets. Similarly, it is not investing the required funds for improvement and modernization of the equipment and transmission/distribution networks to bring down the line losses. The resentment of the consumers would not subside until and unless inefficiency is addressed and pro-elite policies are changed.
