Govt to refund overcharged electricity bills: Details inside

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to refund the additional charges of over-billing in the current month’s electricity bills while giving relief to the consumers, here on Thursday.

According to the media reports, under the pro rata system, the federal government has directed that a lower tariff be applied to the additional units billed.

According to the decision, the tariff of additional units will be reduced for pro-rata billing. Protected category customers will now pay Rs 13 per unit instead of Rs 27 per unit.

Customers will receive a credit for additional charges on their current bills, and any overpayments will be refunded. Additionally, Nepra has done away with penalties for late payment of bills.

Last month, consumers were billed for extra units under the pro-rata system, leading to investigations by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

The investigation revealed that reading dates were missing from the bills, and Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO) failed to provide a clear explanation of the problem.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had extended the deadline for payment of electricity bills by 10 days to relieve the public from financial stress.

Subsequently, the power division directed all electricity distribution companies, including K-Electric, to implement the extension in July and August 2024 bills.