KESC fleecing consumers through 'dual billing'

The management of Karachi Electric Supply Company Ltd (KESC), which claims to provide so-called relief to consumers, appears to be engaged in 'dual billing' to power-starved Karachiites. The ground reality is different to what KESC claims with regard to alleviating the sufferings of people. The KESC management, which always complains of distribution losses, electricity theft, inadequate gas supply, etc, is generally found fleecing its consumers through innovative means.
The company has adopted an illegal practice of issuing two different bills in a month with the rationale to transform its Business Operation Centres into Virtual Integrated Business Centre. This practice, which was supposed to attract punitive measures from the regulatory authority, is continuing for months, creating problems especially for salaried persons amid highest-ever inflation. The consumers from North Karachi and Gulistan-e-Johar were initially victimised by the said practice. Now the KESC has inflicted the inhabitants of Gulshan-e-Iqbal and F B Area by issuing two different bills for May. The regulatory authority, instead of investigating the matter, has become silent spectator, which encouraged the power utility to expand its wings to the other areas. The consumers of Gulshan-e-Iqbal and F B Area have received two bills having May 14, 2011 and May 20, 2011 as due dates for payments of electricity bills for April 2011 and ongoing month of May 2011. The second bill will also attract late payment surcharges if consumers fail to pay the same before the due date.
It is interesting to mention that the new bills have been issued on the basis of average units, which created disturbance among the consumers. One consumer Samad said that he had received second electricity bill of Rs 1800 against 33 electricity units in May while his neighbour got a bill of Rs 300 for 57 units. He said the KESC's customer care centre of the area deceived its consumers by saying that the billed amount would be adjusted in the bills of the next month against the actual used units.
Another consumer Safdar termed the said explanation as sophistry, saying that the company, which is using delaying tactics in returning the overcharged amount of Fuel Price Adjustment to consumers, is again bamboozling through the statement of adjusting the over-billed amount against actual bill. Official sources in National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on condition of anonymity confirmed that there was no provision, which allowed KESC to issue bills twice a month. The said exercise was liable to punitive measures from Nepra, he added. The GM Media and official spokeswoman of KESC could not be reached for comments.