Karachi: Pasban Democratic Party PDP Chairman Altaf Shakoor here Sunday asked why the electricity consumers of Pakistan pay Rs 124 Billion for capacity charges of surplus electricity when they face agonising prolonged load shedding on daily basis.
Commenting on the government decision that the electricity consumers will pay capacity charges of over Rs124 billion for the surplus power generation during the last quarter of fiscal year 2022-23 in the coming months, he asked if there is surplus electricity, why consumers are tortured with hours long load shedding in the length and breadth of Pakistan.
He said that this surplus electricity is unused and under which law the consumers are asked to pay for the utility which is not provided to them and never used by them. He said this is simply against not only the law and constitution but also common sense. He said the courts would strike down this illogical decision of the government to slap Rs 124 Billion on the consumers for the electricity that was not supplied to them.
He said it is just ill planning to install power generation that is not utilized by the consumers but that is billed to them. He said private power plants are the biggest financial scam in the history of Pakistan as these modern day East India companies are looting the government and people of Pakistan with both hands. He said this is a broad daylight robbery and economic hit men of these East India companies in the ranks and files of successive governments of Pakistan are involved in this great cheating.
He said if there is really any surplus power it should be provided to domestic, industrial and agricultural consumers by ending load shedding. He asked what is the rationale of paying for surplus electricity that is not being utilized despite immense demand. He said citizens are crying for lack of electricity and prolonged load shedding on one hand and the government is claiming on the other hand that surplus electricity is not only available but the consumers will also have to pay for it even if it is not supplied to them and used by them. He said this is the biggest joke of this century and it is a clear violation of both law and logic.
He said the apex courts should take notice of this grave violation of human rights of the Pakistani citizens and order a probe to know why the private power producers were allowed to generate surplus electricity and who struck the deals that they would be paid for this surplus power even when it is not utilized. He said this is a mega corruption scam and the people of Pakistan should see the faces of politicians who were behind it. He said it is high time that the mistakes of the past should be corrected now and the power consumers of Pakistan should be saved from brutal exploitation.
