Finance ministry clarifies reports on power tariff hike

The ministry of finance Saturday categorically stated that it had nothing to do with the hike in power rates or with inflated billing.

The decision about raise in power rates was taken during the caretaker government, prior to general election 2013, but the then minister for water and power had inexplicably withheld it, said a ministry spokesman in a statement.

He was clarifying misleading reports published in a section of media about the hike in power tariff and inflated billing with certain insinuations. The spokesman said: “The effect of that tariff has been fully absorbed during the last fiscal year.”

He affirmed that the finance ministry was helping the ministry of water and power to implement power sector reforms, but in fact all matters relating to power sector were the sole domain of the ministry of water and power.

As far as the reported over billing last month was concerned, the spokesman clarified that it was the finance minister who recommended to the cabinet to appoint independent auditors to scrutinise the reported over billing, so that exact responsibility could be fixed and action could be taken against the responsible.

The cabinet approved the finance minister’s proposal and directed the ministry of water and power to immediately appoint independent auditors, the spokesman added.