Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Iftikhar Ahmed Vohra has vehemently criticised the government for giving the go ahead to K-Electric to raise its electricity tariffs for residential consumers which varies from 19 per cent to 30 per cent under various slabs, and has become effective from July 14, 2015.
“This unjust hike in K-Electric bills was received during the month of August, and came as a shock for everyone, particularly the poor and middle-class segments of society, he added.
In a statement issued, Iftikhar Vohra urged the government to immediately withdraw this unjust hike as it will terribly affect the common man’s life in the ongoing era of inflation. The upsurge in the electricity tariff will also have an impact on the prices of numerous household goods and exert unbearable pressure on the citizens of Karachi.
He noted that K-electric’s tariffs have been raised by 26 per cent (Rs 10.20 per unit) for consumers of 201-300 units, 30 per cent (Rs 16.00 per unit) for consumers of 301-700 units and 19 per cent (Rs 18.00 per unit) for consumers of more than 700 units. The KCCI president said that although the government notified about the hike in electricity tariff for residential consumers via SRO 677 (1) / 2015, this SRO was neither available on K-Electric’s website nor on the websites of Ministry of Water & Power and National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), ensuring that the public couldn’t to question why this raise has been applied.
Iftikhar Vohra said that a number of people from all walks of life, while seeking KCCI’s assistance in highlighting this serious issue, highly criticised the government and NEPRA for allowing K-electric to raise its tariff for residential consumers which would badly hit the lower-income group and the salaried class. It is a matter of grave concern that NEPRA usually holds public hearings prior to revising electricity tariff but this raise granted to K-Electric has been imposed without staging a single hearing.
He was of the view that this anti-public step will prove counterproductive as it may affect K-electric’s recoveries because the people won’t be able to pay off these exorbitant bills and the situation may leave no other option for them but to go for illegal means including electricity theft.
Furthermore, the KCCI president mentioned that K-Electric’s operating expenditures must have gone down nowadays as the international oil prices have declined sharply and are at all-time low. “Yet it is highly unfair on part of the government to give go ahead to K-Electric to raise tariff without considering the current scenario and without even thinking of the negative aftereffects on the lives of the masses. Keeping in view the overall scenario, I once again vociferously urge the government to withdraw the hike in K-Electric tariff for residential consumers,” he added.