PM Kakar seeks solid plan for reduction in electricity bills within 48 hours

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Sunday said solid measures should be presented to him in the next 48 hours for reduction in high electricity bills.

He was chairing an emergency meeting which he had called on Saturday in view of the swelling public protests against the inflated power bills.

During the meeting, representatives from energy and electricity-related ministries participated. A detailed briefing on electricity transmission and tariffs was provided by the power ministry.

The prime minister said no step would be taken in haste to avoid harm to the country. He said such steps would be taken which would not put additional burden on the national exchequer and would also facilitate the consumer.

It was not possible that the common man was in difficulty and the prime minister and the bureaucracy were using free electricity from their taxes, he added.

The prime minister said relevant ministries and departments should provide details of the institutions and officers who were getting free of cost electricity. He said he represented the common man, adding the electricity expenditure of the Prime Minister House and Pakistan Secretariat should be reduced as much as possible. “Even switch off the air-conditioner of my room if this is needed,” he remarked.

He said detailed consultation would be held with provincial chief ministers on Monday on steps to save electricity and on the issue of increased electricity bills in July. The power distribution companies should give a road map for stopping electricity theft, he added.

Anwaarul Haq Kakar said reform plans in the electricity sector and short, medium and long term plans should be presented as soon as possible.

Caretaker federal ministers Shamshad Akhtar, Gohar Ejaz, Murtaza Solangi, Advisor to Prime Minister Dr Waqar Masood, Secretary Power, Chairman NEPRA, Chairman WAPDA and other officers attended the meeting.

The government’s actions were prompted by the ongoing nationwide protests and showed no sign of slowing down with the citizens vowing to take drastic action if their grievances were not addressed promptly. People across the country have been left reeling as inflated electricity bills landed on their doorsteps earlier this month. The unsettling surge in billing, coupled with the ever-increasing tax burdens, has unleashed a storm of anger and frustration among the people. – Our reporter and news agencies contributed to this report