Dozens of people on Tuesday from different localities gathered outside lesco Headquarter and staged protest demonstration against the passive behaviour of the government towards their problems and issuance of inflated power bills and unannounced loadshedding from lesco.
A large number of consumers who received electricity bills for the month of September thronged the Lesco sub-divisional offices for correction of their bills, but they returned home in utter disappointment as officials concerned told them that they had no authority to correct the bills.
They asked the government to look into their problems, as they are already under financial stress and unable to pay inflated bills of power. Anjum Pervez, one of the participants of the protest rally, said it is impossible for the poor power consumers to pay electricity bills because they are already overburdened by escalating price hike.
He said that present government has badly failed to provide any relief to the masses. Criticising the government he said that rulers are enjoying luxurious lifestyle and misusing resources, while poor people are forced to commit suicides due to economic burden.
Umer, a trader of the Mall raod, said that business community was already suffering due to unannounced loadshedding that too over-billing has manifold their miseries. He said many traders approached the Lesco Headquarter and filed complaints of over-billing but no action was taken.
He said that the Lahore High Court (LHC) had restrained Lesco Chief Executive not to make increment in electricity tariff, however, ignoring the court orders, it had sent bills according to new rates. He appealed to the Chief Justice, LHC to take sou motu action against the Lesco officials.
Expressing his grievances, President, Pakistan Wapda Employees Pegham Union, S D Saqib also held a protest against the over billing and increase in tariff.
Moreover, he said that Sindh and NWFP governments had not allowed to make an increment in electricity tariff, but their bills had been increased up to 31.40 and 61.36 per cent for consumers using 100 and over 200 units.
Chairman, All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) Cotton Committee Tariq Mahmood told this scribe that he revived 900,000 excessive bill of his textile unit as compared to previous month.