The Lahore High Court Chief justice chastised a federal government law officer on Thursday for belittling a petition seeking information about the production and supply cost of electricity and the cause of the electricity load-shedding.
CJ Azmat Saeed was hearing a petition filed by Muhammad Azhar Siddique in which he questioned the federal government, the ministry of water and power, WAPDA, PEPCO, LESCO, NEPRA and all the electricity generating companies.
The petitioner pleaded that under the article 19-A of the constitution, the people paying inflated electricity bills had the right to know about the supply cost of electricity generated from sources like thermal, coal, gas, furnace oil, and solar as well as the taxes and duties added in the bills.
The petitioner requested the court to conduct audits of the accounts of the departments linked to the production and supply of electricity and to submit category-wise details of profit and loss accounts.
He said the WAPDA was unlawfully charging fuel adjustment duty, fuel price adjustment duty, equalisation surcharge and the Neelam Jhelum surcharge.
He added that the people were forced to pay for line losses and electricity thefts, in spite of which the tax-payers’ money was used to purchase electricity from rented power projects and IPPs.
He said the government was looting the public through WAPDA by taking ad hoc steps in the power sector.
Deputy Attorney General Muhammad Hussain said during the proceeding that the issue raised in the petition was not of a serious nature should be dismissed.
The CJ observed that the article 19-A was a part of the constitution and that the protection of the basic rights of the people was the government’s responsibility.
The court directed the attorney to submit detailed comments on the petition. The CJ said: “If you do not submit a reply at the next hearing, the secretaries of the departments concerned will be summoned before the court along with complete records.”
The attorney then sought three weeks for drafting a reply after which the court adjourned the hearing till February 20.
LHC demands power cuts schedule: The Lahore High Court chief justice on Thursday sought the schedule for the power cuts and details of the uninterrupted electricity supply to VVIP residences, including the President House, Prime Minister House, Governor House, CM House and other government personalities’ houses.
Azhar Siddique, an advocate, filed a civil miscellaneous application pleading that the exemption of the VVIP residences from load-shedding was a violation of the article 25 of the constitution which gave equal rights to all the state’s citizens.
The petition requested the court to issue a stay order against load-shedding, saying that hospitals and courts were also facing power cuts which added to the miseries of the people.
He said the electricity usage had reduced in winter while the water level in the dams was high, despite which the load-shedding persisted.
He asked the court to issue directions for stopping load-shedding in the winter and for enhancing power generation to control load-shedding permanently.
The court adjourned the hearing till February 20.
