Islamabad: In a bid to provide relief to the masses, Prime Minister Shehbaz Friday ordered the correction of electricity bills by removing the June FCA within 24 hours.
In a Twitter message, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the distribution companies and banks would remain open on the weekend as well to provide correct power bills or for a refund of fuel charge adjustment paid in August bills.
“Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has ordered to ensure the provision of relief in electricity price within 24 hours. A committee has been constituted for monitoring. Discos and banks will remain open on holidays for a refund of fuel charge adjustment received in electricity bills up to 200 units and correctness of bills,” the statement read.
وزیراعظم شہباز شریف نے 24 گھنٹے میں بجلی کی قیمت میں ریلیف کی فراہمی یقینی بنانے کا حکم دیا ہے۔ نگرانی کے لئے کمیٹی قائم کردی گئی ہے۔ 200 یونٹ تک بجلی کے بلوں میں وصول کردہ فیول چارج ایڈجسٹمنٹ کی رقم کی واپسی اور بلوں کی درستگی کے لئے چھٹی کے دن ڈسکوز اور بینک کھلے رہیں گے۔
— Marriyum Aurangzeb (@Marriyum_A) August 26, 2022
The decision comes amid increasing pressure from the people who resorted to protests in many cities in the face of soaring electricity prices.
NEPRA had allowed power distribution companies, including K-Electric, to collect additional Rs 9.8972 and Rs 11.37 per unit, respectively, for June fuel cost adjustment (FCA) in the electricity bills for August.
Following the outrage from people, PM Shehbaz, during his visit to Qatar on Tuesday, announced that consumers who use less than 200 units of electricity would be exempted from FCA.
In a video address from Qatar, the prime minister explained the mechanics behind why FCA was levied and said it had seen a “considerable increase” for July and August’s power bills because of high international oil prices, which was “intolerable” for the common man.
He had said that after consulting with the International Monetary Fund, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and other coalition leaders it was decided that 17.1m electricity consumers would not have to pay the FCA.
On Wednesday, Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir Khan, while addressing a press conference in Karachi, announced that 17 million people are being provided relief amounting to Rs22 billion on account of the FCA.
