KESC to issue October bills with 70 percent raise

While the inflation hit Karachiites are still breathing hard under the hours-long power outages, Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) is poised to bill them again with the disputed 71 percent increase for the month of October, Business Recorder learnt on Thursday.
It may be recalled that on the order of federal government the Company had not added the recent raise in power tariff, up to 40 percent, in its bills for the month of September. The public utility has taken the decision after the government's failure to form the proposed committee to resolve the issue of new hike in electricity charges, which had sparked countrywide protests from the masses and businessmen alike.
"The new bills would be issued according to the new tariff regime as we have still not received any further instruction from the government," said Ayesha Eirabie, the official spokesperson of KESC.
Talking about September's bills, which had been issued without the inclusion of new raise, she said KESC had nothing to do with the previous bills as the government took that decision. According to sources October's bills would again invite mass resentment from the common man and business community of this metropolis who are restlessly awaiting a government backed relief package. They said the Company would be testing patience of the crises-stricken customers if it again came up with increased charges for the utility.
The industrialists, businessman and other communities had stood to voice against the electricity bill in the last month, which ultimately had forced the government to get back the hike in tariff, sources said.
However the decision taken by the government also remained confine to only one month and the next bills of coming months were to be discussed later by a proposed committee of the government, they added. According to the new hike in domestic bills ranging from units 1 to 100,100 to 300,300 to 1000 and 1000 onward would have the new tariff of Rs 4.97, 6.13, 8.58 and 9.54 per unit, respectively. For commercial sectors the bills of 100 to 1000 and 1000 onwards units would be charged as Rs 9.23 and Rs 10.04 per unit, respectively. The accumulated tariff including the 16 percent of general sales tax would be around 70 percent, the sources in KESC said. They also said that the reduction in the previous bills had facilitated to the commercial and industrial sectors more, which had made them paid less than the normal electric bills.